Breaking the Reel
by AileenRoseven
Summary: Once upon a time, there was a hero. A man who was destined to try to escape a magical land of darkness, demons and danger… Once upon a time, Henry Stein was a free man, living his life, a lovely family, a wonderful job… Once upon a time, there was light… and now, a new hero has entered the board… Dark nights are upon us.
1. Prologue

It was starting again. Just like all the times before.

This time though, he remembered.

He hated the times he couldn't remember the mess he had gotten himself into. It gave him a false sense of hope that everything would work out with what he was doing till the memories of the times before would come knocking right as the cycle came to an end again.

Henry sighed as the sights of the main floor of the original studio filled his vision. Empty as ever. No one around. Just him and the horrors that awaited eagerly for him to turn on the machine. The machine they all relied so heavily on in order to come alive.

The times he remembered the situation he was in, he dreaded turning the machine on. He didn't WANT to turn the machine on… but what choice did he have? If he didn't, things would just remain still. Nothing would set in motion and sadly, there was no second option or an exit route. He had put off turning on the machine before as a means of resting his head for a bit during the times he remembered what was going on but… after awhile, he knew that fate demanded he did.

 _That Joey demands that I do._

It was rare but sometimes he could hear the sound of his old friend's voice echoing from above, narrating the events going on around him or what he himself was doing. It was twisted… The way Joey spoke of him. The way his tone sounded, it was like he was telling a story he just made up to entertain someone, not someone's personal Hell.

That's what this was as far Henry was concerned. A Hell created for him for reasons he wasn't sure he would ever understand. He wanted so badly for it all to end… but it never would till something changed.

What that was?

He had no idea.

For now… He had a headache to nurse before deciding to go through everything once more.

Henry made his way over to one of the walls of the studio, holding up an odd contraption that looked like a giant square shaped magnify glass with light bulbs attached to it. He looked through it, seeing a large quantity of tallies on the wall before him. He sighed, digging into his pocket, pulling out an ink pen that had white glowing ink dripping from it. He added a tally to the wall before sitting down, laying his back against it, setting down his tools.

Henry stared up at the ceiling for a moment before closing his eyes, trying to relax and drift off for a bit… hoping maybe he could wake from this nightmare for good.

Wake up next to his wife… have his kids jump on him to wake him up so he wouldn't be late for work. What would he give to have that all back. To pretend this was all just a bad a dream.

But it wasn't. It was very real.

And there was no way out.

430 times told him that much.

And yet… he kept going. Believing some how… some way…

There was still hope of escape.


	2. Same Old Song, Same Old Dance

"And then, the demon was finally at peace, seeing the words he had yet to see in his creation. The words that set him free. The End."

The man leaned back in his wheelchair, giving a gentle smile to the one who had been listening. A young girl who had a wide eyed look on her face.

"That was great Uncle Joey!" She giggled, hugging the plush wolf she had in her hands closer. "The demon was defeated!"

"That's right, Little Angel. All thanks to a little bit of help."

"Can you tell me another one? Please? Please?" She asked, giving a puppy eyed look. "I wanna know more!"

Joey chuckled, patting her head.

"Sure thing kiddo. Now, where to begin this one…"

 _Same song and dance again. Just how it is any night we spend with Uncle Joey._

Elias chuckled a bit as he watched Joey begin his story again. No matter how many times he told the same story, Mary would always be amused.

 _Well… she is only six and he does mix things up at least._

Mary looked over to the door, seeing Elias peeking in.

"Eli!"

Joey looked his way.

"Well hi there, Elias. Care to join us for bedtime stories?"

Elias shook his head, chuckling a bit.

"Nah, I really should get to bed. Mom won't be too happy if I don't go to sleep on time again."

"So, drawing?" Mary asked with an innocent smile.

"H-Hey!"

"You're always making pictures!"

He rubbed the back of his neck, laughing a little.

"I can't help it… If I stop drawing-"

"You stop breathing." Mary and Joey said as Elias grinned sheepishly.

"What can I say? The truth is the truth. Gotta hone my skills."

"And who are we to keep you from them?" Joey chuckled. "Just make sure to get some sleep tonight at least. Maybe you can join us tomorrow."

"Sure thing, Uncle Joey." Elias went over, hugging his sister, ruffling her hair up a little. "Just wanted to say goodnight to Mary before heading off. Love ya, sis."

"I love you too Eli!"

She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, Elias kissing her forehead before heading out of her room to his room. Well… technically, they were guest rooms but with how things were as of late they might as well be their rooms. They were just their rooms at Joey's house.

Elias closed the door to his room behind him quietly, taking a deep breath before looking to his specially set up drawing table. There was a growing stack of papers next to it. About 180 sheets.

 _Just need to do 60 more then I'm finished with my little loop animation exercise._

He grinned as he looked at the drawing that was currently underway. It was a little anthropomorphic calico cat that was in a dancing position with a black colored fox. A silver fox to those who knew better, which Elias certainly did. He made the two after all.

 _Okay Kit, June, let's get you finished. I can't wait to see the look on Mom's face. She's going to be so impressed when she sees you two dance! It'll get her to smile for sure!_

He was doing it mainly for practice… at least, that's what he told Joey when he looked in on his work. In truth, it was going to be a little flipbook gift for his mother, to make her smile when she needed a pick me up.

He twirled his pencil in his hand before getting to work, narrowing his eyes in focus. The drawing helped him keep his mind off of things as well.

Namely, over the person missing in their dynamic.

 _You gotta be out there somewhere…_

Elias sighed a bit.

"Sometimes, I wish you two could talk. Would be easier than trying to talk about it with another person. I don't wanna worry Mom or make Mary sad… I just miss 'im, you know?"

Elias was greeted with silence as usual. What would he give if June or Kit could talk to him… or… more than anything…

Elias glanced up at the photo he had hanging above his desk. It was him and his father at his first big win at a baseball game. A 12 year old version of himself smiled back at him, a small gap in his mouth due to a lost baby tooth, one arm holding a bat and the other wrapped around his father's shoulders. His father smiled warmly in the photo, a proud look in his eyes as he side hugged his son.

What would he give to be able to speak to him again.

Elias lowered his head, the sounds of pencil dancing across the paper ceasing.

"... Dad… I really hope wherever you are you're okay… and… you'd be proud of my drawings I'm working on right now. I've gotten really good in the past few months. I mean… it was weird taking pointers from Uncle Joey. The guy can't draw to save his life but he's really good at analyzing stuff. Makes me wonder why his studio failed… or no, maybe it was because he wanted things too perfect. Then again, heaven only knows what went wrong. But… I've gotten really good at mimicking the style of the old cartoons and improving it, adding my own twist and such… I just hope you get back soon so you can help me pitch it somewhere. Maybe to the company you're still working for. Just… details…" Elias closed his eyes. "... Please come home soon… We all miss you so much."

 _Just come home soon. Uncle Joey's nice and all… but he's not you. He's good to us but I dunno…_

 _You do things different… and you can cook a whole lot better too._

He took a shaky breath, opening his eyes.

"Okay… Just a few more pages, then it's right to bed."

" _Remember to stretch your hands so they don't cramp up again. I don't want you getting a tendonitis episode."_

" _Like you during that deadline?"_

" _Pretty much, yeah. Just take it easy on yourself too."_

" _Will do Dad!"_

Knock! Knock!

"Elias? Can I come in?"

Elias set his pencil down.

"Come in, Uncle Joey."

The door opened, Joey wheeling himself into the room. Years had not been kind to the man's health. He had always had issues with walking but in his early 50's his legs started to fail almost entirely. The man could barely get around on his own anymore and mainly relied on a wheelchair as a means of transport. Elias admitted, it was hard to imagine that his man ever walked properly.

"What's up?" Elias asked.

"Just checking on you, kiddo." Joey gave a knowing look. "I know you when you're trying to distract yourself. You draw like there's no tomorrow."

Elias glanced to the side.

"... Is it that obvious?"

"To me? Yes. To anyone else? No." Joey frowned, wheeling himself closer to Elias, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I know it's been a few months but I'm sure he'll turn up at some point. He has to."

"You think so?" Elias didn't look up. He was shaking however. "You… You think he's safe?"

"I'm sure wherever he is, he's fine. Just has to come back. Maybe he needs a little help finding his way home but I'm sure he will."

"I hope so… I can't stand the thought of him never coming home." Elias frowned. "It… It honestly scares me."

"And I completely understand, Elias. I miss him too. As you know, Henry and I go very far back. I would never wish anything ill on him. Sure, we had our spats but… he really was trying to help me. He was a real pal like that. Regardless, knowing him, he'll be back before we know it. Especially in time for your 18th birthday."

"Yeah, hope so… I don't want him to miss that." Elias leaned his head back, sighing. "He's always been there for us with whatever we wanted to do. Even would let Mary put bows and hair clips in his hair. One time he actually went to work like that y'know." He snickered a bit. "Gave them a few ideas for a fun episode of the cartoon they were making at least…"

"He's a good man. A talented man, who raised a son who's as kind and compassionate as he is. He'd be proud of how you've been hanging in there… but you don't have to hide it."

"Nah, I'm… I'm fine."

Joey placed a hand on his shoulder.

"It's okay to miss him. We all do… Elias. I was going to wait until your birthday but I wanted to give you something early."

"Huh?"

Joey reached under his wheelchair, pulling out a box. He smiled at it before handing it to Elias.

"Here. Open it up and see for yourself."

Elias took the box. It was a little hefty but not super heavy. He gave it a small shake before opening it. His eyes widened at the contents inside. Inside was an old film reel, a book with the Joey Drew Studios logo on it, a few original hand drawn cells of cartoon characters, a sketchbook and a small pin that was shaped like the head of the mascot of the studio, Bendy the Devil Darling, blacked out and had a big white "B" on it.

"Uncle Joey… What…?"

Joey smiled.

"Elias, I know you're planning on following in the footsteps of your old man. I want you to be able to fulfill that dream and… well, in this box is the old story bible my studio followed. It contains all information on the characters from how to draw them on model… to the paperwork for the rights to the characters inside it."

Elias' head snapped up, the boy stunned at the words. He picked up the book, flipping through it, finding said paperwork.

"... Are you serious about this? Y-You're okay with this?" He asked in disbelief. He had been hoping to one day buy the copyright, that was even one of the things Henry had been hoping to discuss that fateful night… and now?

It felt like a dream.

"I'm sure, my boy." Joey smiled. "If there is anyone I would trust with mine and your father's legacy, it would be you. You have the drive, the talent and most importantly, the imagination I believe to bring Bendy into a new life that I could never reach." Joey took the pin out of the box, smiling at it fondly before pinning it onto Elias' shirt. "What do you say, Elias? Can I trust you take care of Bendy and his pals for me?"

Elias nodded, a grin coming to his face.

"I sure can! I'll do my absolute best to bring 'em back to the light! I'll put together storyboards, turn arounds, whatever!" He laughed a little. "Thank you, Uncle Joey, thank you! This is the best news I've had in awhile!"

"There's a smile." Joey chuckled. "Take good care of Bendy and his friends now. They meant a lot to me and Henry when we worked on them."

"I will, I promise!" Elias grinned. "Thank you, Uncle Joey!"

"Anytime, Kiddo." Joey gave his shoulder another squeeze. "Just glad to see you smiling again."

Elias nodded, giving him a quick but careful hug.

"Means a lot Uncle Joey… I'm really glad you're here y'know."

"I am too Eli… I am too."

 _Oh man, Dad's gonna be so excited when he comes home! Please, come home soon. I wanna make these cartoons with you, Dad!_

Joey stroked Elias' back, glancing up at the photo on his desk. He didn't chuckle out loud but he most certainly did in his head.

 _Take all the time you need, old friend._


	3. Off Point

If he timed it right, maybe, just maybe, he could stop it this time. He had gone through everything as fast as that awful woman had asked. No complaints, not even a time to rest.

Maybe, just maybe, this might be the one. He bolted into the elevator, relieved yet worried when he saw Boris waiting patiently for him.

"Hey, buddy." Henry knew the odds. He had played them so many times. Still, he chanced a tight hug around the living toon before him, startling him. "I just… Thank you."

Boris hugged him back, a happy sigh leaving him. If he had a tail, Henry imagined it would've been wagging.

"You're a good boy, Boris." He whispered.

He took a deep breath, stepping back.

"Let's go see that wicked witch."

Boris gave him a nervous look, but pressed the button for the elevator to go u p. He covered his ears, a faint but clear whimper escaping him. Henry brought an arm around him tightly, eyes narrowing.

He really wished he had that Tommy Gun right now. He was never one for shooting. He was better at swinging - years of helping out with Elias' baseball training taught him well.

But if he had the chance to put one between that woman's eyes… Oh, he would give anything to do that.

"Have you ever wondered what heaven is like?" Susie's voice took on that saccharine tone as she spoke to him over the intercom.

Henry wanted to bite back that he had an idea of what it was like. That he took it for granted. That he should've never left it.

But he knew she was just reading off a script. A mockery of a planned introduction for Alice Angel long before any voice actors had been chosen.

"I like to dream that it's quite beautiful. A soft valley of grass, blanketed by a warm sun."

Henry closed his eyes tightly. He knew what his heaven looked like.

 _Heaven… is a two story townhouse, with a robin's egg blue paint, that I HATED when Linda picked it out at the hardware store, but grew to love. With a window that I had to fix so many times, because of stray baseballs…_

 _It's a place where I spent hours making stencils for my kids walls, so they could dream as they slept. Where I spent way too many hours putting together Mary's dollhouse because she just had to have that one kit. Where there's light and love and family dinners..._

 _It's a house where I'm greeted by my children's voices, a big hug from my little girl. My angels are my family._

 _That's heaven… That's my heaven._

He tried to scream it out once during one of these cycles. That only angered Susie sooner and brought him to a faster end.

"I don't think I'll ever get to see it…"

Henry's arm tightened around Boris. He knew it was coming to an end soon. All too soon.

All too soon, she taunted him again.

"Are you ready to ascend, my little errand boy? The heavens are waiting."

"No… Not for me…" He laughed quietly. "Not yet."

That fake sobbing started, only to fade into laughter.

 _Just get on with it… Just kill me…_

"DID YOU REALLY THINK I'D LET YOU STEAL FROM ME!?" The elevator sparked as it began to fall.

Henry closed his eyes tightly, not wanting to see. Not wanting to know just how soon the impact was.

"DID YOU REALLY THINK I'D JUST LET YOU GO!? No, Henry! I know who you are! And I know why you're here!"

 _Just say nothing. It gets worse if you say something._

 _It did the last time._

" _Yeah! Cause your boy-toy old Devil Drew decided to send me to break up with ya, right!?"_

 _Oh that was NOT smart. Not smart at all._

She continued on, talking about how she needed Boris to make her beautiful again.

The end was coming.

"Boris… I'm so sorry." He whispered. "I'm so sorry-!"

They all had to follow his script.

He had to play his part.

CRASH!

ooooooo

"Okay, ready Mary?"

"Ahuh! Ahuh!"

"Alright… Three… Two… One!"

Elias grinned as he carefully flipped the pages so the animation could be seen. Mary's eyes widened in awe as June and Kit danced around with each other. Kit twirled June out, twirling her back to him, pulling her into a dip before they struck an ending pose.

"Tada!"

Mary clapped, squealing as Elias played through it again.

"And one more time!"

"Eeee! Eli, that's so cool! June and Kit look so cute!" She smiled, bouncing as she went up to him, hugging him tightly.

"Heh, thanks Mary. Been working really hard on it. Think Mom'll like it?"

"I think so!" She giggled. "You're always doing cute stuff with 'em!"

Elias sighed happily. Seeing her excited, hearing her laughter, that's what made all the hard work worth it.

"Hopefully I can make full toons outta this someday."

"I'm sure you will, Big Brother!"

Both perked up as they heard the front door open.

"Elias! Mary!"

"Mom!"

Elias set down his drawings carefully before running after his sister, both throwing their arms around their mother.

"You're home!" Mary squealed. "Work finally let you go free!"

"Yep. Lot of crazy patients but I made it through another round." Their mother smiled, kissing their heads. "Oh, missed you too so much. You were good for Joey, right?"

"Ahuh!"

"Yes, yes, they were very well behaved little angels, Linda."

Joey was now present, slowly wheeling himself in.

"Nothing ol' Uncle Joey couldn't handle."

Linda smiled, hugging her kids a bit tighter.

"Thanks for watching them again, Joey. Seriously, you're a lifesaver."

"Anything for an old friend."

"Mommy, Eli made a really cute cartoon!"

"M-Mary!"

"... Oops?"

Linda chuckled, giving Elias a curious look.

"Oh yeah? What's coming out of Stein Studios tonight?"

Elias blushed, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Well… Since Nurse Stein has been working so hard, I thought she deserved a special treat. One moment." Elias ran back to Mary's room, retrieving the frames of his animation and soon returning. He cleared his throat, readying the frames. "I present, The Waltz of June the Cacilco and Kit the Silverfox!"

Mary clapped as the animation began to play and Linda looked a the animation with wide eyes of amazement. The movements were fluid and the drawings were solid as well.

 _So much like Henry…_

As the animation ended, Linda started clapping, a look of pride in her eyes, a warm smile on her face.

"Eli that was wonderful! It's so smooth and your consistency is perfect too!"

"Thanks, Mom." Elias took a bow, giving a grin. "Anything to make you guys smile."

 _She loved it. Yes!_

"And you always do, Elias."

"Oh! And one more thing."

Elias pulled out one of the frames, flipping it to show the back, revealing something written on it.

"To Linda Stein. The best mother and nurse in all the world. May this animation remind her that she is loved by her family always."

Linda's eyes widened, a touched look coming to her eyes.

"Eli…" She covered her mouth, eyes getting a bit misty. "Oh, you sweetheart." She went to him, pulling him into a tight embrace.

Elias hugged her tightly.

"Thank you so much. It's just what I needed. This is exactly what I needed."

"Good." He sighed happily, kissing her cheek. "Made 'em just for you."

"Oh, my baby…" Linda kissed his head, stroking his hair. "So sweet and gentle. A true gentleman."

"Indeed." Joey chuckled. "Would you care to stay for lunch? I could make sandwiches."

"Can I help?" Mary chirped. "Someone's gotta be sure you don't put too much mustard on Elias' sandwich."

"Yeah, please?"

"Of course! Right this way, Mary!"

Joey lead her away, leaving Elias and Linda alone for the time being. Elias looked to her, giving a grin.

"Hey, did I tell ya what happened last night?"

"Hm?"

"Uncle Joey gave me the copyright!"

"... EH!?"

"He did!" Elias showed off his pin. "He gave me this box of stuff and one of the things that was in it was the original studio bible for the Bendy Cartoons and in it is the paperwork for the copyright. He said he could think of no one better than me to pass his and dad's legacy on to. Isn't that great!?"

Linda was stunned to say the least. In all her years of knowing Joey Drew, she assumed he would take the copyright to his grave with him someday than let Henry even _breathe_ near it.

 _He's really turned around, huh?_

"That's… That's amazing, hon." She brushed some of his hair out of his face, giving him a gentle look. "Look at you, you're already on your way to being an ace animator."

"Ya think so?"

"I know so."

Elias smiled, pride in his eyes.

"Thanks, Mom." He looked to the kitchen. "So… should we make sure Uncle Joey doesn't face plant into the sink again?"

"Definitely. Go put your drawings away first, though. You do not want to have a repeat of the hot cocoa incident."

"Right!" Elias hurried off without another word.

Linda shook her head, chuckling before heading into the kitchen. There, Joey was out of his wheelchair, using the counters as a means of keeping his balance as he maneuvered around to get the ingredients needed for lunch while Mary set the table as best as she could.

"Joey?" Linda said, leaning over one of the counters to make eye contact with the man.

"Yes?" He asked, looking up from the bread he was setting up.

She gave a small smile.

"Thank you for giving Bendy to Elias. I'm sure that made his month."

Joey chuckled, giving a gentle look in return.

"Hey, he's earned the little devil… and I know how hard this whole thing has been." He frowned. "How are you holding up?"

"Throwing myself into work and trying not to stress eat."

"Oh, Linda, you don't deserve to go through this. None of you do."

Linda shrugged, looking down.

"I didn't ask for this… I mean, what are the odds? My husband is missing…"

"Strange things happen, I know that all too well." Joey set down the last slice of bread before reaching over, holding one of Linda's hands in his. "But I know you'll get through this. All of you will. You Steins are strong like that."

Linda smiled softly, squeezing his hand.

"Helps to have people like you having our backs… You know, Joey, I'm really proud of you."

"Hm?"

Linda lowered her voice so Mary couldn't hear them over her happy humming.

"You surprised me these past few months. With everything that happened in the past with the studio and… other things… I was a little uneasy with Henry allowing you back into his life and well… everything you've done up till now. You've really become a better man, Joey. Thus… I'm proud. Thank you for everything you've done. You've been a huge help and I don't know what I'd do without you."

Joey had a surprised look on his face before squeezing her hand, giving her a gentle look.

"I could say the same… Honestly, as awful as this whole thing has been, I'm grateful I can at least help out. I never got to have any of this, so, I hope I'm doing an alright job in Henry's stead."

"You're doing just fine. Mary was so unhappy before and now she's back to being her usual sunny self. She still misses her daddy but you've really made her perk up again."

"Well, she enjoys something I still have a touch for. Stories."

They looked over to the little girl, seeing her adjust a rather familiar plushie of an anthropomorphic cartoon wolf in one of the chairs so his muzzle was above the table.

"There you go, Boris." Mary giggled. "Don't worry, you'll get to have all the sandwiches you like then we can play card games together!"

Linda and Joey smiled, watching her.

"Darn right he will." Joey chuckled. "Lookin good kiddo."

"Thanks, Uncle Joey!"

Linda looked to Joey.

"Want some help with those sandwiches?"

"Please?"

"Would be a pleasure."

oooooo

It was another night spent at Joey's place. Linda had been called in for help with a patient, so, it was the kids and their Uncle Joey for the night.

Elias was tired but not quite ready to call it a night. He yawned, making his way for Mary's room to say goodnight once more.

He leaned on the doorway, deciding to listen for a few minutes… really looking at his sister for a moment.

She was utterly transfixed on Joey's every word, her eyes open wide… If he didn't know better, he would've been worried she hadn't blinked.

He waved, but she didn't look over.

… _What's up with her? She never does that._

"And then, everything faded to black before our hero found himself wide awake where he had begun, completely unharmed by the crashing of the elevator."

"Whoa…" Mary whispered. "How did that happen?"

Joey smiled gently.

"That'll have to wait till tomorrow, sweetie. Our hero could use a rest. As does Boris."

"Okay…" Mary yawned, rubbing her eyes, making herself comfortable. "So the elevator crash was a bad dream?" she tried to prod.

"Oh… Yes, yes it was." Joey tucked her blanket around her. "But don't you worry, there's no scary Alice Angel's coming here."

"Okay…" She hugged Boris, curling up. "Night, night…"

"Goodnight, Little Angel. Sleep well."

 _That… was kind of dark. I mean, he's told dark parts of that story before but I thought he quit that after Mary had nightmares for a week over a disfigured Boris._

Elias shook his head.

 _Maybe Mary was just really enthralled this time. She always gets invested in stories. Still though… weird way to end it for the night._

Elias decided not to bother saying good night to his sister and opted to go straight to his room. He wasn't really sure what he wanted to draw tonight. He wanted to draw something but he wasn't sure what. No matter the day, it was always late at night he felt the most inspired.

He eyed the box Joey had given him, the sketchbook sticking out of it, just begging to be opened. Elias thought about it before shrugging, going over to the box and taking out the sketchbook, flipping it open. To his surprise, it wasn't an empty sketchbook. Inside were sketches, many sketches, of Bendy and his friends drawn in multiple poses and scenarios. The way they were drawn… it almost looked like…

… _Dad._

Elias quickly scanned the page he was looking at till he noted the initials of H.R. scribbled next to the shoe of Bendy sketch.

 _Were… Were these Dad's original sketches from when he worked at the studio?_

As Elias began to flip through the pages, something was rather off about some of the drawings. Rather, the scenarios the characters were drawn in. On some of the pages, he saw instances of the characters looking sad… even crying. That was odd. The Bendy Cartoons were always light hearted tales. Sure, occasional dark humor would sneak in but overall, it was a very happy go lucky kind of show. These… These were quite out of place.

He found one for each of the core three. He found one of Bendy sitting in an odd looking chair, curled up in on himself, sobbing, holding a reel close to his chest. Above him was written "I'm not the monster." Next, he found Boris, hiding somewhere as a shadow loomed on the wall near his hiding spot. Written next to him was "I don't want to hurt my friends." Next and what he thought would be the last of these rather peculiar drawings was Alice, sitting on island surrounded by black water, looking up at the sky with tears streaming down her face. Written above her was "I wanted to be his angel." He thought it would be the last of these strange drawings… but the next page proved him wrong.

On the page after Alice's drawing, was a sketch of a blacked out character. The silhouette bared no resemblance to any Bendy character Elias knew. The blacked out character was reaching upward towards a hand, trying to grab onto it, being held back by what appeared to be thick ink. Written off to the side… Elias had chills go down his spine reading it. And he didn't know why.

"Please, set me free."


	4. Revision Plea

Henry's vision was blurry. His head was throbbing and he could barely breathe.

 _Oh THIS time it hurts!_

Boris was in front of him, trying to help him wake up fully but to no avail. The cartoon wolf whined, worry in his black eyes.

 _Boris… Run… Please… Don't… Don't let her take you… Please…_

A tear streaked Henry's face as he saw Susie approach. He didn't want to watch. He couldn't bare to see his friend taken from him again. Not again…

Not again…

Henry's eyes slid shut as he saw Boris disappear down the hall, letting out his last breath before falling into darkness.

Entering a place he had grown to be familiar with.

An endless well of ink, voices echoing all around him of events that had and would come to pass over and over again. He often wondered if this place would ever end him. Drowning him in the ink it held yet it just swimmed around him, keeping him submerged till he decided to move. He wasn't sure he wanted to this time. He was so tired… and he would think after seeing Boris be taken from him over hundreds of times his heart would eventually stop hurting.

 _But it never will. He means too much to me no matter how many times I do this_

Henry leaned his head back, biting back to the urge to cry.

 _Once… just once, Joey… Let me save him. Please… I don't care about the loop, just let me have one time where I can actually save him!_ _So I can at least know there is a way!_

Like that would ever happen though. He was meant to suffer. No happy endings. No happy events. Just pain, sorrow and a broken heart.

 _Kill me… Just… KILL ME!_

" _NO!"_

A pair of cartoon hands grabbed Henry's, pulling him towards a light above him in the ink well. Henry opened his eyes, seeing the silhouette of a cartoon character floating above him, pulling him slowly out of the ink.

" _You're gonna get out of this Henry! I promise! Please! Don't give up now! We need you! I need you!"_

Henry wanted to respond to the cartoon but in the ink well he couldn't speak. While the ink swam around him and could never get into his mouth, for some reason he just couldn't utter a word. And while the silhouette of the cartoon above him was sharp and distinct, his mind could never figure out who was calling to him. A lapse in his memory. Something Henry had grown accustomed to dealing with.

" _Please… Just hang in there, Henry. I promise. Help is on the way."_

oooooo

Elias stared at the drawing. He had no idea what to make of it.

 _Set who free…?_

Elias tried to see if he could figure out who the character was but nothing really struck him as familiar. It wasn't any of the core Bendy characters and it certainly wasn't anyone from the Butcher Gang. It was just… some person.

 _Why would Dad draw this? Or rather… why did he draw this and those other three drawings? That's unlike him. Sure, he got some frustration out with his drawings but never like this._

It didn't make sense, unless this was a concept character right before he left the studio to work for the one he did currently.

Even then…. his father never made toons like this, even with taking on more serious storylines. He always made sure they would never scare a child. This… he wouldn't want to share this with his sister. It would just remind her too much of Joey's worst renditions of the story.

… _Come to think of it, this reminds me a little of it…_

Elias shook his head, flipping through the sketchbook once more, the pages gradually showing less until about fifteen blank pages were left.

 _I guess Dad never filled this one…_

He didn't want to touch it though, but… Henry had never gotten mad at him for using one of his for an emergency sketch before…

 _This is just bizarre. If anything, it makes me wonder if Dad was even okay before leaving the company… I remember overhearing some of the reasons why he left… and who could forget what he used to call Uncle Joey?_

 _I mean, you don't nickname your former best friend Devil Drew for no reason._

The boy furrowed his brow, picking up a pencil. A simple sketch would be fine. Long as it wasn't touching the side his father's drawings were on. And he really wanted to get his mind off this weird discovery.

 _Simple. Bendy's mine now, so, I'll do a style test. Quick little thing._

Elias started lightly as he began to sketch out the devil darling. Putting down his core shapes before adding detail, eventually taking a pen to the drawing. Soon enough, he had a full fledged picture of Bendy waving at him, a happy grin on the cartoon devil's face. Elias smiled, nodding to himself at making a good rendition of the character.

He leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes for a moment.

 _Maybe I should get to bed after all…_

"Pssst!"

Elias opened his eyes looking around. Where had that come from?

"Psstt! Kid!"

Elias' eyes moved to the sketchbook in his hands.

"Down here!"

The boy let out a yelp, dropping the book and leaping out of his chair.

"ACK! HEY!"

Elias stared at the now closed sketchbook. He hadn't heard, that right? He… He had to be hearing things. It had to be sleep deprivation talking. He stared at it for a good long minute before jumping again at hearing a muffled voice come right from the sketchbook.

"MMF! MMF!"

Elias shook, reaching and flipping the book over and opened it as he saw the sketch he had drawn before...

Bendy was sitting now, rubbing his head, making a grumbling sound.

"Yeesh, you scare just as bad as your old man does. This gonna be a regular thing?"

"... Oh my gosh, I've really lost it." Elias retorted, running his hands through his hair. "This… This is not possible. My drawing's talking…"

Still, he couldn't take his eyes off the drawing as Bendy picked himself up, dusting his front off.

"Nope. Entirely possible and happening." He cleared his throat before giving him a smirk. "Hi there."

"Um… hi…?"

 _I have to be dreaming. I gotta be._

"Name's Bendy, Bendy the Devil Darling but I figure ya already know that." Bendy grinned, giving a sweeping bow before looking at Elias carefully. "Heh… really shocks me how much you look like your old man."

Elias rubbed the back of his neck.

"I get that a lot. I act a lot like him too according to mom and Uncle Joey."

 _If this is a dream might as well._

"Well good. Tell me kid, what's been going on out here?"

"My name is Elias y'know… and…" He looked away, that feeling of dread creeping up again. "I don't know. Life's been messed up for a good few months now. This crap with my dad and then, outta the blue all this stuff just whirlwinds… and now I… I just don't know."

"You miss him, don'tcha?"

"More than anything! I just…" Elias sighed heavily, looking back to Bendy, seeing a sympathetic look on the toon's face. "I don't know what I can do to help. I spoke with the cops when we filed him missing, I sometimes take the scenic route on the way home from school or baseball and still dunno where to even really start looking."

"You poor kid…" Bendy frowned. "... I know he misses you guys too."

Elias' eyes widened at this.

"What… What did you say?"

"I said he misses you guys too. Here, I can show ya."

Bendy moved around the page, swiping his hand over a section as a drawing appeared of Elias's father. It was a cartoon rendition but it was most certainly Henry. He had a sad look on his face as he looked upwards, tears staining his cheeks.

"Linda… Elias… Mary… I hope you're all doing okay without me…" the drawing whispered before it vanished.

Elias' stomach twisted up in knots, as he lowered his head.

"Dad…"

"Easy kiddo. He can come back, he's just… stuck." Bendy frowned for a moment before a grin came to his face. "But that's why I'm here! I can help you get him back!"

"H-Huh?"

"That's right, yours truly can help get your old man back! I know where he is!"

Elias picked up the sketchbook, bringing it closer.

"You're not joking?"

"Not at all! I wouldn't joke about something as serious as this! I've been trying to get him for a long while now and well, I think I finally found the answer I've been looking for." Bendy pointed to him. "And that answer is you!"

Elias raised an eyebrow.

"Me? What can I do?"

Bendy frowned.

"It's a long story. You'll wanna make yourself comfy - lemme ask first though, how do you feel about this…" Bendy's face scrunched up into a disgusted look. "Uncle Joey?"

"Huh? I mean, he's nice and all, he even gave me the copyright to well… you guys. But sometimes, I admit, he comes on a little strong. He's really close to my sister but… I dunno, sometimes, he does stuff that you would think he'd learn not to do."

"Like what?"

"Telling my sister about scary things that give her bad dreams."

"... Oh, he did NOT!"

"Yeah, he did. About Boris - her favorite, mind you! Even elevator crashes!" The more he thought about it… the more Elias realized how mad that made him. "And… Okay, he's also getting kinda chummy with my mom. I hope it's just being friends but… guh it's weird."

"Ewwwww! Isn't he a bit old to be doing stuff like that?" Bendy stuck out his tongue. "Also… Linda's married to Henry! Just cause he's gone doesn't mean she's on the market again and even then EW! Some friend he is!" Bendy shook the thought from his mind "On topic though, those stories… they ain't just stories. They're very much real. Tell me something, does he ever name the hero of the story?"

"... Actually, now that I think about it, he never does. Mary likes to imagine it's dad so he technically named him Henry but…"

"Yeah, kid… about that."

Elias gave him a look, raising an eyebrow.

"What about it?"

Bendy rubbed his face.

"Oi-vay, you got the same look Henry gets whenever the witch orders him around- it's all real!"

Elias froze, his mind trying to process what he just heard.

"... What?"

"It's real. Every last bit of Joey's story is true. No matter the rendition, it actually happened. And the hero of that story…" Bendy got the sketchbook to flip a few pages, the toon moving about them with ease till he got the sketch of the blacked out character. "Is none other than Henry Stein himself." he said, pointing to the character.

Elias was dumbfounded, shaking his head.

"... This is just one big nightmare, right?" He asked, his voice shaking. "Dad's… Dad's okay. He's not trapped in some… nightmare fairytale!"

"Kid, do me a solid and poke yourself good with the eraser end of your pencil."

He rolled his eyes but did as asked… yelping a little when he felt a small bit of pain.

"Okay, not a dream!"

"Thank you~"

Elias leaned back against the wall near his bed, his face becoming pale.

"So if… if Dad's part of a story then… where is he?"

"In another world… that Joey created."

"... How?" Elias asked. "How would that even be possible?"

"By messing with things you shouldn't." Bendy flipped to a page, showing a rather intricate circle pattern. "Things that Joey didn't quite understand and shouldn't have even touched if he knew better. He went too far and… well… while the real Joey Drew Studios might be gone, a version of it still stands in another place, holding all the horrors of its past. Where time and logic run by his rules and commands…" Bendy lowered his head. "Where Henry is the hero… and I'm the bad guy."

Elias ran his free hand through his hair, trying to process what he was hearing. His father wasn't missing in the sense they thought. Joey was bad news… and magic of some kind was real.

But if it had a chance to bring his father home… Elias' eyes narrowed as he looked to Bendy.

"Can I get to that place then?"

He looked up, giving a nod.

"It's dangerous. You'll need to be prepared for pretty much whatever "the board" has to offer."

"I can handle that. You said I can help, right?"

"Sure can! You're probably the best "piece" to break it - your mom and sister, they wouldn't be safe there - honestly, it's not safe for anything. But you're stronger than ya look, aren'tcha?"

"Yeah. I'm one of the best batters on my baseball team for a reason." Elias grinned. "So, I got that. I'll do whatever it takes to get Dad back. If it means reuniting my family than I'll take my chances with whatever we're up against."

"I like your spunk, kid." Bendy grinned. "We'll have to get some stuff together but getting you there won't be too hard. Though… I do want you to give it a few days to think over. Also, gotta wait for the story to reset again. And we gotta-" Bendy froze up. "Shoot! I gotta go! He's coming and I can't let him see me!"

Bendy dove behind one of the drawings as a knock was heard at the door.

"Elias?"

Elias quickly closed the sketchbook, hiding it under his pillow.

"Come in, Uncle Joey."

The door opened as Joey wheeled himself in.

"You okay? I heard a rather loud thud. Who were you talking to?"

"Oh um… I accidentally dropped a book and I was just thinking out loud. You know… the old talk to your cartoons technique when you're trying to figure out what you wanna draw? Sorry if I was being too loud. Didn't mean to worry you."

Joey chuckled, shaking his head.

"Don't be sorry. Just wanted to make sure you were alright. What's got you stuck?"

 _Ah crud, think, think, think-AH! … June, Kit, I am so sorry._

"Well, I think I wanna pitch Kit and June to a studio first as a cute little comedy romance kinda thing before revealing my plans for Bendy and his buddies to come back. Just a little stuck on plot details."

 _I am so, so sorry, you guys._

"Ah, I see. Maybe we can talk about it tomorrow, hm? It's getting pretty late even for you. You should get your rest before you start seeing things."

"Y-Yeah…" Elias yawned. "Or hearing things… So, cartoons tomorrow?"

"Most certainly." Joey grinned, wheeling himself out. "Rest well, Elias."

He closed the door behind him. Elias waited a moment before going to turn off the light, getting into bed. He pulled out a flashlight, locating the sketchbook and opening it, lying it beside his pillow. The page was empty.

 _Maybe I just… imagined it?_

Elias turned off his flashlight, getting comfortable in his bed. His eyes began to slide shut, hearing Bendy talk one last time before he drifted off.

"I know things seem weird right now, Elias but trust me. It's not a dream."


	5. Setting into Motion

It was the middle of the night, when Elias was awakened by someone poking his side. He stirred, rolling over… only to be poked again.

"Eli?"

He opened his eyes, seeing the form of Mary standing next to his bed. She was holding her Boris plush in her arms.

"Wha's…" He paused, yawning as he sat up. "What's wrong Mary?"

"I had a bad dream." She whispered, sniffling a little. Elias' eyes widened before he frowned, moving aside, making room for her.

"C'mere, kiddo."

Mary climbed up, huddling against his side as he brought the blanket up around them both. He stroked her hair.

"Sorry…"

"It's okay. Was it about… the story?"

"Yeah… and…" She whimpered, sniffling, her hand grasping onto her brother's shirt, shaking. She didn't want to remember it all. It was still so fresh in her mind.

Elias frowned, bringing her close, humming softly.

"Shh… Shh… It's okay, you don't have to tell me."

Mary buried her face, sobbing quietly.

"I want Daddy!"

Elias' heart broke, hugging her tighter. He tried to keep calm for her sake… but that hurt. She hadn't cried out like that for Henry in awhile. Not since Joey first came back into their lives.

"Oh, Mary." He whispered, his voice cracking. "I miss him too."

Mary hiccuped, curling up against him.

"I miss Daddy's stories too."

"I miss them too, Little Angel. I miss a lot about him." Elias kissed her head, giving a gentle look. "And it's okay to be upset."

"You promise?" She whispered. "You won't tell Mommy? I don't wanna worry 'er."

"I won't tell Mom or Uncle Joey either."

"Thanks, Eli." Mary kissed his chin. He wiped away her tears, humming softly.

It always took awhile to calm Mary down during an episode like this. It didn't help that she was having nightmares again.

Elias frowned when she finally drifted off, wiping away the last of her tears. He kissed her forehead before laying his head down.

 _I need to fix this._

He glanced to where his sketchbook was, thinking about what happened earlier in the night.

About what had been offered to him.

… _If it wasn't real, then I'll know._

Elias closed his eyes, nodding to himself.

He knew what he needed to do tomorrow.

oooooo

The next morning, Elias made sure Joey was nowhere near his room when he reopened his sketchbook. He flipped through the pages, seeing if he could find Bendy. When he got to the last page of drawings and to the first blank page he saw nothing.

Elias frowned at this, lowering his head.

 _Maybe it was a dream after all._

"Hey there!"

Elias' head snapped up, seeing Bendy was now present on the page, a huge grin on the devil darling's face.

"Bendy…" Elias whispered.

Bendy nodded.

"Glad to see you decided to open the sketchbook again. I admit, was a little worried you'd forget about me but somehow I knew you'd come back." Bendy frowned a bit. "Your sister doing okay? I heard her crying last night."

Elias sighed.

"Not in the slightest. She's a little better this morning but… I know she's just putting on a smile so everyone doesn't worry." Elias got a serious look to his. "You weren't joking when you said I could get Dad back, right?"

"Nope." Bendy crossed his arms. "I would never joke about such a thing."

Elias thought for a moment before speaking again.

"I'll do it. Just tell me what I need to do."

Bendy had surprise come to his black eyes.

"You sure? I did say you should take a few days to think about this."

"After last night, I can't stand this anymore, Bendy." Elias gave a determined look. "I'm willing to do whatever it takes to get Dad back."

Bendy looked at Elias for a moment, not reading any sense of hesitation in the boy's face or body.

"Very well, we got planning to do."

"Lemme grab breakfast real quick, can't plan a rescue on an empty stomach."

"I'll jot down a list in the meantime."

Elias nodded, heading out, Bendy smiling in relief.

 _We're really gonna do it._

 _We're gonna save ya, Henry._

oooooo

"Okay… So…"

Elias had his sketchbook sitting on his drawing table wide open, propped up so Bendy could see Elias walking around his room. The little devil darling was currently holding what looked like a ridiculously long list in his hands that trailed off the page, reading over it with a pair of reading glasses.

"Um… Bendy, I'm afraid to ask how long that list is."

Bendy laughed.

"Kid, it's just over exaggerated to look long. Toon logic! It's honestly not that long. Now, where was I? Ah, yes." Bendy cleared his throat. "Food that'll cover a few months worth of meals, maybe three, a weapon of sorts, some protection, sleeping stuff and… I think that's all you're gonna need. Time is kind of weird in the studio world along with its logic."

"Does it run on toon logic too?" Elias joked as he started going through stuff in his room.

"Actually, it does. Reason your dad has survived falls that no human could."

Elias shuddered at this.

"That's… Okay, it shouldn't sound creepy to me but it does."

"Eh, considering humans shouldn't be able to do all he's done I don't blame ya." Bendy poofed the list away. "But we're gonna have to deal with it because you'll be following those rules when you get there."

"Fun… I know I put that camping backpack somewhere…"

Bendy laughed.

"Oh no no no, you don't need a backpack kid. I'll be carrying all our stuff."

"... How?" Elias asked, looking to the toon.

"Magic of course! I may not be as powerful as Joey in regards to what power I have over the world he created but I do have some tricks up my little sleeve. Though, before I can do anything, I need a favor." Bendy motioned for Elias to come over to the drawing table. Bendy drew a rather intricate circle design on the page he was on before pointing to it. "I need you to draw this and, and this is very important and don't worry it won't damage the sketchbook, I need you to pour a whole well of ink onto the circle."

Elias, gulped looking the design over.

"And this isn't gonna have any… ramifications?"

"I promise. You know what you're doing unlike Devil Drew out there."

Elias swallowed hard before he hurried to get what he needed. He had to be a bit sneaky since the only unused ink well was in Joey's study but luckily, Mary was keeping him plenty busy.

 _And remember… It's for Dad. All of this is for Dad._

He took a deep breath to steady himself before starting to draw the circle, mimicking the pattern Bendy showed him perfectly, the toon nodding to himself as he watched him work.

"You draw as fast as your old man does too, y'know."

"Learned from the best."

Elias soon finished, taking a deep breath as he picked up the inkwell.

"You know… I always wondered why they put skull and crossbones onto the wells they used at the studio." Elias said as he undid the lid.

Bendy shrugged, stepping into the circle pattern.

"A joke? Since… ya know, animation can be murder?"

"Eh, I could believe it." Elias hand shook as he held the open well over the page.

"It's okay, kid. I promise."

Elias closed his eyes as he tipped the well over, the ink pouring onto the page rapidly. There was a loud woosh for a moment along with other noises before it went quiet. Elias still had his eyes shut. He wasn't sure if he wanted to see what exactly Bendy had made him do. He was prompted to however as something poked him on the cheek.

"Kid, you can open your eyes now."

Elias opened his eyes slowly as they quickly widened as he was greeted with the sight of seeing Bendy himself floating right before him with a huge cheeky grin on his face.

"Tada!" He struck a pose, his little devil tail swishing a bit.

Elias grinned, a look of excitement in his eyes.

"Wow… WOW!" He exclaimed, jumping up to look at him better. "This is so… wow."

"Ya like what you see?" Bendy grinned, striking another pose.

"This is just like when I was a kid and imagining playing with you and Boris!"

"Well, now it's for real." Bendy stretched a bit before rubbing his hands together. "Now, we got work to do. Watch this!" Bendy snapped his fingers as a circle with designs on it appeared in mid air before a portal opened. "This is my handy little pocket dimension. I can store all kinds of stuff in it. It's what I've been doing for awhile now. One of my hidden talents."

"Whoa… What have you been storing in there?"

"Eh, just knick knacks and stuff from around the studio world that I find interesting or stuff I can leave for Henry during his cycle repeats."

"Well… let's get our supplies then-wait… You got an Alice Angel doll in there maybe?"

Bendy blinked.

"Yeah? Why?"

"... Think I could leave it as a present for my sister?"

Bendy smiled.

"Sure thing, kiddo. Alright, let's get to work!" Bendy looked around Elias' room, grabbing the boy's school backpack from a wall hook. "Empty this please."

Elias did as told before Bendy jumped into it, poking his little head out.

"While I said you don't need a backpack, I'm gonna need somewhere to put my pocket dimension's entrance and somewhere I can hide while we're doing errands and such." Bendy huddled in closer. "Nice and cozy in here too."

Elias chuckled.

"Got ya.

They quickly snuck through the house to get their supplies… or in the case of the food, sneaking out to grab the boy's bike for a quick store run.

"I'd just steal outta the fridge, but my sister's gotta eat too, y'know?"

"And the devil?"

"He can starve!"

They soon arrived at the market, Elias making his way inside.

"You'll stay outta trouble, right?"

"I'll just be in here with my pocket dimension. I don't wanna stir up a crowd." Bendy poked his head out of the backpack. "I'll just pose as a plushie."

"Sure thing - though hope no one tries to swipe ya."

Bendy made his teeth appear sharp.

"Good point."

He hurried inside, grabbing up groceries at a rapid pace… or in the case of some items, just swiping the shelf into the shopping cart.

… _How am I gonna pay for all this?_

Bendy poked his head out again.

"Pssst." His hand stretched around, offering a huge wad of cash to Elias. "I find this in the studio too. Do they still accept stuff from the 1920's?"

"Cash is cash, don't think it matters to them." Elias grinned, taking it. "Thanks, Bendy. I was thinking I'd have to just make a break for it."

"Nah, can't have you with a record. Henry'd kill me."

"And then me… Alright, what else? Hm… There's a sale on bacon soup-"

"NO."

"Eh? Why not?"

"Elias, your dad has been living on that stuff for who knows how long in the studio world. And it was the old brand that wasn't well made. The guy is sick of the stuff!"

"... Okay, no bacon soup. How about chicken soup instead?"

"Better! Oh and maybe some sweets?" Bendy poked his head out, looking at a shelf that had chocolate on it.

Elias smirked.

"You just want those all to yourself."

"Chocolate is a devil's best friend… Also… Em…" Bendy got an embarrassed look. "I… actually don't know what chocolate tastes like. I heard it's good though."

Elias let out a shocked sounding noise before grabbing up a case of chocolate bars, throwing them into the cart.

"Yup, officially important. You need to know how that tastes."

Bendy let out a happy purr, huddling back down into the backpack.

"You're the best animator ever!"

Elias chuckled, smiling.

"Hey, I ain't letting ya go deprived of one of life's many good things."

"I just heard Wally mention it so much on his recordings… or rather, just one recording Henry finds in his travels."

"Wally? As in "I'm outta here?" Wally Franks?"

"The very one. You know he stole Sammy Lawrence's chocolate cake once?"

He had to stifle his laughter, shoulders shaking.

"Oooh good gosh. He did!?"

"He did! The knucklehead left it on his chair to deal with something and then Wally just swooped in like he owned the place!"

Elias had to stop for a moment to laugh.

"Oh gosh! I know my dad didn't get to know those two for very long but oh gosh from what I know that's just… Hahahaha!"

"Yep, so, I was always just so curious what chocolate tasted like since Wally was brave enough… or stupid enough, to steal from Sammy."

"Well, you will in no time then. Okay… I think we got everything we need."

"Great! Let's get outta here then!"

Elias soon checked out at the store, the cashier rather baffled at the amount of money he had on him but shrugged it off, taking it and a little extra as a means of not making a big deal out of it. Money was money after all.

Elias rolled the cart to the back of the market so no one could see him and Bendy for a moment. Bendy hopped out of Elias' backpack, taking it off and holding it open.

"Alright, dump it all in."

"... Even the cart?"

"... As fun as it would be to bowl down some of the stuff I've seen in there with this lovely thing, not worth the safety risk."

Elias shrugged, dumping the contents of the cart inside, waiting to hear a crash, only for nothing. He blinked.

"See?"

".. Okay, I am even more impressed. Can ya do that to my history teacher too?"

"Later."

Elias slung his backpack back on before taking off again on his bike, Bendy staying huddled up in the bag again.

"So, the last things we need are weapons, protection and sleeping stuff."

"I got all those at home. Just need to make a quick stop at a friend's house."

"Eh? What for?"

"I'm gonna need a cover up story to throw Joey off and I don't want Mom to worry too much so… gotta cover our bases, ya know?"

"Heh… smart." Bendy poked his head out. "You know, Elias, you're pretty brave for just going through with all this. I was a little worried you wouldn't want to since… well since I told you all of Joey's stories are true you know what's waiting for you, right?"

Elias frowned, keeping his focus on the road.

"I do… And I'm scared, don't get me wrong." He admitted. "I don't wanna get hurt or die… but I don't want to EVER see Mary that upset again, either. My family means more to me than anything else, Bendy."

Bendy nuzzled the back of Elias' head.

"You're a good kid on top of being a brave one too."

"I try. Try to be good, do what Mom and Dad say, be a good big brother… and a good friend."

"And right now." Bendy smiled. "You're being one heck of a good son."


	6. Important Goodbyes

Henry awoke on the main studio floor again. He couldn't remember if he had fallen asleep here or this was just where Joey decided to send him. Didn't really matter though. He looked around, seeing he was in his old desk area. A place, he had admittedly, had a sour view on these days when it came to remembering all the things Joey put him through.

 _I'm lucky I didn't die at this darn thing._

He got up slowly, rubbing the back of his neck, stretching a bit. He couldn't hear Joey at the moment so he could either just hang around the main floor or just get things over with.

 _Maybe rest a little longer…_

He glanced around before something caught his eye. It was something he hadn't seen before during his loops. On his old drawing desk was a chocolate bar that was being held in the arms of a Bendy plushie.

 _The heck…?_

Henry walked over to it cautiously. He looked around one more time to be sure nothing was going to sneak up on him before picking up the Bendy plushie, noting there was a piece of folded paper tucked in with the chocolate that had his name on it. He slipped it out, unfolding it carefully. His eyes widen a bit at the message inside.

"Help is on the way. Just hang in there. Something to hold you over till then. - An Old Pal"

 _An old pal… Wonder what that means. Who would even willingly come here?_

Henry shrugged, snapping off a piece of the candy bar, popping into into his mouth. He swore he had been eating bacon soup for too long. He almost forgot what sweets tasted like.

Rich and dark. He decided to stash the rest away for now and eat it in portions later. He wanted to make it last.

 _Just wish I could have some of Linda's cooking too… Oh, her chocolate chip cookies… or soup. Real soup, not this canned crap._

 _Then again… HE PROBABLY EATS THIS CANNED CRAP!_

He made his way down to the breakroom, taking a glance around.

"...Y'know… Been awhile since I had a game of darts. I think there's a picture of Joey around here somewhere… or I could sketch one."

Henry got a sneaky look as he grabbed a piece of paper, drawing a very exaggerated caricature of the man before pinning it to the dartboard, taking aim with the darts in his hands.

"This, is for trapping me here!"

THUD!

"This, is for taking Boris away!"

THUD!

"And this… This is for leaving me, with all this rancid BACON SOUP!"

Bullseye.

Right between the eyes.

oooooo

"Whoa, you serious?"

Elias nodded.

"I am, Connor."

Elias was currently sitting in the living room of his best friend's home, both talking over lunch and out of earshot from his parents.

"You… know where your dad is?"

"Sort of… I don't know. I can't give all the details, Connor but I really need you to do this for me." Elias had a serious look to his eyes. "I need you to cover for me while I go look for him. Uncle Joey and Mom can not, under any circumstances, know what I'm up to."

"What about your sister?"

"I'm going to tell her and I can trust her to keep a secret."

Connor was just baffled at everything Elias was saying.

"So… you're basically running away… but it's not really running away because you're on a mission to get your dad back because reasons?"

"Pretty much." Elias' serious look didn't falter.

"Eli…"

"Are you in or out?"

Connor rubbed the back of his neck. He knew when Elias put his mind to something, he was likely to never change his mind. This was no exception.

"I'll keep my mouth shut. But if you don't come back in a month, I'm spilling the beans, cause I am not losing my best friend. Okay?"

Elias grinned.

"It's a deal, Connor. Thank you so much."

Connor nodded, smiling a little.

"Anything for you. You owe me a milkshake the next time we go out with the rest of the baseball team though."

"Of course." He chuckled. "I'm heading out tonight, so keep my cover until I get back… or if a month goes by, feel free to spill the beans as we agreed."

"Right. Be safe Eli."

"I will."

They shared a handshake before Elias headed out. Bendy poked his head out of the backpack, noting they were still not heading back to Joey's.

"Where we going now? I thought you got everything settled with that Connor kid."

"I did… There's just… one more thing."

"Eh?"

"You'll see."

Elias stopped in front of a red house, smiling as he caught the sight of a girl about his age sitting on the swing bench on the front porch, reading a book.

Bendy took a peek, looking at the girl carefully. She had long honey blond hair that went to her shoulders and had chestnut brown eyes. He looked at Elias, seeing a look in his eyes he was all too familiar with. One he knew Henry made all the time whenever he saw or thought about Linda.

"Oooo." He snickered. "You gonna kiss her for luck?"

Elias smirked.

"For luck and so she knows how much she means to me."

"... Awww. They grow up so fast."

Elias brought a finger to his lips, before approaching the girl.

"Hey, Liz."

She jumped, setting the book down, smiling as she realized who it was.

"Hey you… What brings ya?"

Elias sat down beside her, bringing an arm around her shoulders.

"What? Can't I see my girlfriend without a plan?" He chuckled.

Liz smiled, leaning into him, resting her head on his shoulder.

"You can… Just haven't had a chance to see you much lately." She took his free hand into hers. "How're things?"

"Well… I got Connor in on this, I need you too Liz… and I promise, I'll make it up to you when I come back."

"... What's going on?"

Elias took a deep breath, his look turning serious.

"Liz… I found out where my dad is. Tonight, I'm going to leave to go find him."

Liz's eyes widened.

"What…?"

"It's true. I… can't give the details but all I can say is… It's probably gonna take me a bit and… it's going to be dangerous too. But I promise I'm going to do everything in my power to come back to everyone." Elias took her hands into his. "I'm telling you this so you don't have to worry over where I am, even if you don't know where I am exactly. And… well, I wanted to see you one more time before I leave." Elias looked her in the eyes. "I need you to keep this secret and be strong for me, okay?"

Liz was silent, staring at Elias like he was crazy. She looked into his eyes, seeing nothing but the utter truth in them.

"..." She sighed, shaking her head. "Always charging right into things because you know it's something you need to do. Just how you are." She smiled. "But it's something I love about you." She pressed her forehead against his. "I won't question it too much but you better be back as fast as you can."

"I will." Elias smiled. "I promise."

"Good. I'll keep your secret." She leaned in closer.

"Thank you."

The distance between them close. They held like this for a moment before Elias pulled away gently, making his way back to his bike.

"Good luck." Liz said.

"Thank you." Elias waved to her before taking off, a huge grin on his face and determination in his eyes.

Bendy whistled once they were a good distance away, poking his head out of the bag. He smirked, nudging Elias' head with his own.

"Look at you tiger, already charming the ladies." He teased.

"Oh hush, Liz is just… wow." He sighed happily. "Seriously, I don't know how I got so lucky."

"Your dad said the same darn thing about Linda y'know."

"If I'm lucky, I'll get to that point with her."

"We'll see. Though not to stomp on your dreams but… we got a job to do."

Elias nodded.

"Let's finish up preparations, shall we?"

oooooo

"Bat, check. Knee and elbow guards, check."

Elias looked at himself in the mirror of his room. While he wouldn't need a ton of armor with what Bendy told him about the studio, a little bit wouldn't hurt. He was in his normal clothes but he had decided to wear his baseball gear on top of it. Mainly his knee and elbow guards and his gloves. He stuck his bat into his backpack, sighing.

 _No turning back after we leave._

Bendy was sitting on his bed, looking at Elias with some slight concern.

"You ready?"

"I am. Just… one more thing."

Elias slung his backpack on, Bendy hopping inside. Elias crept through the house quietly. He looked into Joey's room, seeing the man was fast asleep. Elias sighed in relief before going to Mary's room. The girl was on her bed hugging her Boris plushing close to her, wide awake, fear in her eyes.

Elias frowned at this before entering, closing the door behind him quietly.

"Mary?" He whispered.

She looked up at him, puzzled at seeing how her brother looked.

"Eli…?" She tilted her head. "Why are you dressed like that?"

Elias sat down on the edge of her bed, motioning for her to come closer.

"Mary, I need you to do a huge favor for me. You can keep a secret, right?"

Mary nodded.

"Ahuh."

"Good." Elias took off his backpack, opening it. "Wanna say hi, Bendy?"

Bendy hopped out, giving a sweeping bow.

"Pleasure to finally meet ya!"

Mary's eyes were wide, hands covering her mouth.

"Oh my gosh…" She jumped up, tackling Bendy into a hug as he tumbled back onto her bed. "Eeeee! You're real!"

"Ooof! Boy you got a good grip on ya!" He laughed, returning the embrace.

"Easy on the demon there." Elias chuckled.

Mary loosened her hug, but didn't let go, instead, cuddling up to Bendy.

"I'm being good… This isn't a dream, right?" She pouted a little. "It's not gonna… turn scary?"

Bendy stroked her hair.

"Nope. Because your brother and I know exactly how to fix what the ol' devil's been up to."

Elias took Mary's hand into his.

"Mary… Bendy and I are gonna go get Dad and bring him home."

Mary's eyes went wide.

"You are?"

"Yes. I don't know how long it's going to take but we're gonna get him back. Reason I need a favor from you." Elias squeezed her hands a little. "No matter what, you can not let Uncle Joey know where I and what I'm up to. Same goes for Mom. As far as they will be concerned, I'm just at my friend's house. Okay?"

Mary gulped, nodding, worry in her eyes.

"Okay Eli… Y-You guys are gonna be careful right?"

"Of course."

Mary hugged him tightly, kissing his cheek.

"I love you lots, Eli."

He held her close, kissing her head.

"Love you too Little Angel…. And I do got a little something to make it up to ya. Bendy?"

Bendy grinned, floating over to Elias' backpack.

"Eli here doesn't want you getting lonely. So, we have a friend for you. Though, I decided to add my own little spin." Bendy gave his best serious look. "I have a friend here who's been going through a pretty hard time herself and could use someone as sweet as you as a friend. And well… she wants to do something good for once."

Bendy hopped into the backpack, soon poking his head out.

"Little Lady and Gent, I give you…" Bendy hopped out, pulling out another toon. "Alice Angel!"

Elias and Mary's jaws dropped at seeing the toon. She was a bit smaller than they were expecting. In drawings she was usually near Boris' height but this one was just barely taller than Bendy. Probably by a head from what they could see.

Alice gave a small smile, curtsying.

"Pleasure to meet you both."

Elias looked to Bendy, shocked.

"She's… real too?"

"As real as I can be." Alice giggled. "I wanted to help when Bendy told me what his plan was."

Mary wiggled out of Elias', arms going up to Alice.

"And you're really gonna stay and we'll be friends too?" She asked softly.

"I'd be most honored. I heard you were just the sweetest little angel."

She smiled sheepishly.

"Hee?"

Alice ruffled her hair.

"I'll hold down the fort for you boys while you get Henry. There'll be nothing to worry about as long as I'm around." Alice smiled gently. "And no nightmares either."

Mary hugged her quickly.

"Thank you, Ms. Alice."

Alice smiled, stroking her hair.

"You're welcome." She kept the girl close, looking to Bendy and Elias. "You two better go now. The story has already reset but it won't be long before Joey sets it in motion."

Elias and Bendy nodded.

"Right."

Elias looked to Mary.

"Be good Mary. See you later."

The two left without another word, Mary watching them go.

"Bye bye, Eli."

 _Please, come home safe._


	7. Ritual

It was like clockwork for Joey as he arose from his bed, working himself into his wheelchair. It was the middle of the night but he could never help himself when it was time to start things all over again.

He rolled himself over to his desk, looking at the drawing before him.

 _The last one just didn't make sense. Time to try again._

Joey brushed the drawings aside, getting a new set of papers out with blank storyboard panels. He hummed in thought before grinning as new ideas came to mind. He took out his pencil, drawing a circle pattern on one of the blank panels. His eyes had a sinister look to them as he finished the pattern, pricking his finger to let a drop of blood fall on it. The pattern glowed for a moment before it disappeared.

 _There we go._

 _Now…_

Joey put his pencil to the paper, starting to draw the studio once more.

 _It all started, with a letter from good old Joey Drew…_

oooooo

Elias was cold as he looked at the abandoned building before him that was Joey Drew Studios. It hadn't been used in years and the only reason it hadn't been torn down was because of all the ghost stories people heard about the place. Elias would've shaken his head at this but with all Bendy told him… He couldn't blame them.

"So… we just walk in and we're in?"

Bendy came out of his bag, shaking his head.

"No. I gotta work some magic. Any average joe or stupid kid could walk into this place and they wouldn't get trapped in the loop like Henry did. They'll see flashes because the world is residing in there but you have to cross over to the other plane to actually be in it."

"So that's why there's so many ghost stories." Elias shuddered. "Dimensional shifting. Lovely."

"Yup, strange stuff, hence why I gotta do my thing."

They headed inside as Bendy lead the way.

"So, what's this magic you gotta do?"

"Well, Eli… You know the part of the story where Henry turns on the ink machine?"

"Yeah with a… Oh gosh."

"Yeah. The ritual, sadly, is no joke. I already got the stuff though!"

"Got ya… Bendy, is that how it… happened the first time?"

Bendy nodded.

"Yeah. Henry never saw it coming… It's how Joey set it up and well… We gotta play by the rules."

"Right… Well, what are we waiting for?"

The two nodded, heading further into the studio. It was eerie how… well kept the place was. It was messy yet it like everything was frozen in time, never to be disturbed. Papers were scattered about, ink splotches on the walls… and the messages too.

"Hey… Bendy." Elias said as they journeyed further. "Did… Did Joey actually do some of the messed up stuff mentioned in his stories? Did he… he sacrifice people to the machine?"

Bendy nodded.

"Lot of employees were never seen again because of him. There were lucky ones, like Wally, Tom and Allison. But people like Sammy, Susie… and some other ones, they're trapped here just as much as Henry is. Joey was rather ashamed at what he had caused. The attempt to make… me, was the biggest shame of the company. He wanted so badly to pretend it never happened… but he couldn't ignore it. If only Henry had been there to stop him. If only Henry were here, he could fix everything… That's when… the idea came."

Elias's eyes went wide.

"The loop."

"Joey had to put everything somewhere. He was desperate to hide it all away and somehow fix it. But, with everything happening to him he couldn't. And with what he did, there was a price to pay… so, he offered a sacrifice. Someone who could face his demons for him. Someone he had trusted on time and time again to always help him out of a jam. Someone who he merely asked to do him one last favor, for old time's sake."

"And that someone was my father… My father, who never did anything wrong or hurt anyone."

"That's the sad thing, Elias. Your dad left for a noble cause - to make his life with Linda. To have you and Mary. Joey didn't care about any of that."

Bendy slowed to a stop as they came upon the ink machine. Bendy reached into Elias' backpack, pulling out an arm full of items.

"I need your help placing these on the pedestals in the power room, kiddo. Then… It's time."

"Right." He picked up a small plushie of Bendy. "I'm ready to see my dad."

"Let's get him then."

They got to work, placing the offerings upon the pedestals in the power room before pulling the switch and returning to the room with the ink machine.

"In Joey's loop, the ink machine area looks way different. Mirrors more to what he had before, versus what all the money drying up caused… but this was the start of things." Bendy looked upon the old machine with a cold look. "This… was where I started."

The small demon took a deep breath as a large circle with intricate patterns surrounded them, coming to the center of it.

A large star etched itself out into the floor as a brilliant light flashed around them.

"Open the path before us."

Elias covered his eyes as the light enveloped them.

The last thing he heard was Bendy letting out a shriek.

oooooo

Henry's head snapped up from what he was doing. He looked around, his heart pounding. He was currently in the music department, running through Sammy's song for the umptenth time to get to his office so he could drain the ink for the exit that he knew he would inevitably not reach.

 _That sounded like the ink demon but… he doesn't show up until Sammy tries to sacrifice me._

He looked around for the warning signs of the demon possibly coming for him but he saw nothing nor did he hear anything that would tell him that was occurring. He cursed a bit under his breath as he heard the projector shut off.

 _I HATE this puzzle._

Henry decided to wander around the perimeter, seeing everything was about the same as usual. No signs of anything being different.

 _Maybe Joey just thought it would be funny. Something to spice things up._

Henry, begrudgingly, returned to the projector room. He took a deep breath, readying himself to dash, his hand hovering over the on button for the projector. He glanced down to the orchestra room below, seeing all the Bendy cutouts staring at him, their unsettling grins sending a chill down his spine.

 _No matter how many times I see them they still give me the creeps._

Henry waited another moment before hitting the button and dashing down the stairs, his mind focused on remembering the instruments he had to play, trying to wipe the shriek from earlier out of his mind.

Yet it still hung on, concerns of the demon coming early plaguing his mind.

oooooo

"And then, Boris got his head stuck in a picnic basket."

Mary giggled, bringing her hands over the mouth so it wasn't too loud to alert Joey.

"I knew he was a silly wolf. He loves his food."

Alice smiled, nodding.

"Indeed he does, little one." Alice stroked Mary's hair. "You should probably sleep now, sweetie."

"But I'm still not sleepy yet." Mary nuzzled her hand. "I'm really worried about Eli and Bendy. I don't know if I can sleep till they get home."

"I'm worried too but we can't let Joey notice something is off. And the best you can do is play pretend."

"I do that all the time." Mary lowered her head. "I'm really good at it…. Really good…"

Alice frowned, tipping her chin up, eyes widening at seeing how glassy Mary's eyes were.

"... You've been hurting a lot, haven't you?"

Mary sniffled, rubbing at her eyes.

"I gotta be a brave girl. A good girl. So Mommy doesn't worry and Eli doesn't worry." She whimpered. "I gotta pretend really hard so no one knows I'm sad."

Alice brought her close, stroking her back.

"Hey, you don't have to hide around me, Little Angel. You don't have to deal with this alone." She frowned. "I know how hard it is to pretend you feel okay when you're not."

Mary sniffled burying her face, shaking like a leaf.

"M'sorry…"

"Don't be." Alice stroked her hair. "Joey… has done a lot. It's why Bendy and the rest of us want to fix it because we're so tired of it. Tired of seeing Henry suffer… and tired being hurt ourselves." Alice closed her eyes. "I wanted so desperately to help your father every time but… I couldn't… The second I would try I… I would become part of… her."

" _I'M ALICE ANGEL!"_

Alice lowered her head, trying to ignore the image of Susie in her mind.

"I could never be his angel."

Mary tucked her head under her chin.

"You can be mine then. "

Alice brought her closer, closing her eyes.

"You're a sweet little girl Mary. Your father is a very lucky man to have you for a daughter."

Mary hiccuped a little, shaking her head.

"I'm lucky too. I got Mommy, Eli… and you guys now too."

"Oh, Mary…" Alice hummed softly. "I promise… I'll be the best angel I can be for you."

Mary smiled, closing her eyes, yawning a little.

"I believe in you, Alice."

Alice gave a small chuckle, laying Mary down in her bed, tucking her in.

"Let me help you sleep then. I think I might know a song that will do the trick."

Mary got comfortable, hugging her Boris plushie close.

Alice cleared her throat before she began to sing. It was a song without lyrics but the tune was something all too familiar to Mary. It was something that brought back memories of her real room with all her toys scattered about and stencils of angels and horses on her walls. A tune… that when sung right, was the perfect lullaby.

Mary closed her eyes, her memories taking her to a time she hoped to have once again. No longer was she in her bed. She was in the arms of someone who smiled down at her, his bright blue eyes having a warm and loving look in them. Alice's voice faded, being replaced with a nice deep male voice.

Mary looked up at the man, smiling, huddling close to him. He held her close, his song ending.

"I love you, Mary." He whispered.

"I love you too, Daddy."

 _I'll be strong, Daddy. I promise._

 _For you and Elias._


	8. Change

There was a ringing in Elias' ears as consciousness came back to him. He groaned, his eyes opening slowly.

 _Ngh… My head… What happened…?_

It took a moment for his vision to clear but eventually he was able to make out where he was. He was in a small room that had two coffins propped up against the wall and a few other random pieces of furniture lying around.

Elias sat up slowly, rubbing his head, trying to shake off the headache. He looked below him, seeing he was sitting on a pentagram with candles all around him.

 _Did it work…?_

"Elias?"

Elias looked to the side of him, seeing Bendy floating right next to him.

"Bendy…"

Bendy gave a small smile.

"Glad to see you up. Welcome to the studio." Bendy floated around him, looking him over. "Seems it's had the same effect on you as it did your dad."

"Huh?"

Bendy made a mirror appear in his hands.

"See for yourself."

Elias looked, jumping a bit at what he saw. He looked like himself but… at the same time he didn't look like himself. Rather, he looked like a walking cartoon version of himself, pie eyes and all.

"Whoa…"

"Yeah, the studio here, as I said before, runs on toon logic. And well if you're gonna follow toon logic…"

"You have to be a toon yourself." Elias stared at himself for another moment before getting up, dusting himself off. "Well… I'll go back to normal once we get out of here, right?"

"Pretty sure." Bendy looked around. "Though we gotta move now. Lolligag for too long and we might run into…" Bendy shuddered. "Him."

Elias gave a puzzled look.

"Who?"

"It's better ya don't know." Bendy headed for the one open doorway in the room. "Come on, we need to find Henry."

Elias stood for a moment in confusion before following after Bendy.

"Do you know where he is?"

"Working on that." Bendy said as he looked around. "Though he's clearly been through here." Bendy noted the knocked over cans of empty bacon soup and chopped up cut outs of the devil darling himself. "Oh boy… He's frustrated for sure this time."

Elias picked up a piece of cut out, gingerly.

"Geeze…I know he says to take your rage out on your work, but I didn't think it'd be literally."

"That's what being trapped in "Cartoon Hell" as he's oh so lovingly referred to it, does to ya."

Elias shook his head, hurrying after him looking around… doubling back as he saw an open doorway.

He peered in before stumbling back, shock in his eyes.

"B-Bendy…!?"

"What-Oooohh, no…"

There was a version of Boris strapped to a table in the center of the room, with candles a lit around him.

Elias shuddered, trying to look away.

"The heck… is wrong with Joey?"

"A lot of things." Bendy floated over to the dead cartoon, frowning. "Usually you don't see these around this level. Someone's being a bit more grim dark than usual."

"Wait, back up. There's…?" Elias stumbled a bit, a wave of nausea hitting him.

Bendy frowned, floating back over to Elias, steadying him.

"It's because of someone who's trapped here… and because that's how Joey is writing it this time. Hurts everytime I see him like this… even if it's just… clones…" Bendy's tail drooped. "Because… it hurts Henry so much to see him like this."

Elias brought an arm around him.

"And this is gonna traumatize Mary if she hears about this…" He frowned. "Hurting Dad… Hurting her… And she loves him and he knows how much she loves Boris…"

"And how much your Dad loved him too. That's why kiddo. "

"That… That…" Elias growled. "THAT SONOFA-"

"AH! NO!"

"OH COME ON! JUST THIS ONCE!"

"NO!" Bendy crossed his arms. "Your dad might not be here to scold but as his creation I am technically your older brother so I tell you no."

"... I was gonna say son of a gu- Wait, older brother?"

Bendy grinned.

"Remember, you were born three years after your old man left the studio. I got seniority."

Elias raised an eyebrow.

"... Darn it, you got a point. A devil for a brother huh?"

"I mean, if you're okay with that?" Bendy's grin faltered. Elias kept his arm around him.

"I'd really like that actually."

Bendy grinned, sitting on his shoulder.

"Older brother it is." Bendy looked forward. "Come on. Let's go find Henry. For Boris' sake."

"For everyone's sake." Elias said, moving forward, determination in his eyes.

Unaware of the demon that was creeping around in the shadows.

oooooo

Henry gasped, holding his side. It was rough this time. Usually Sammy always managed to sneak up on him and knock him out but Henry didn't want to go that route. Unfortunately, that's how he found himself with a nice gash in his side that was inflicted upon him via an axe.

He looked at the passed out musician, the axe still clenched in one of his hands. It had been a struggle but Henry had managed to hit him hard in the head with a violin. It was a relief but now Henry had to wonder where he could go from here. He slumped to the floor, holding his side tighter. As far as Henry knew… this cycle could possibly end with him dying in the music room.

Henry brought his hand out, looking at the blood on it… or rather… ink.

It was something Henry had been aware of for awhile. Least, it was something he was aware of when he remembered the Hell he was trapped in. First time he saw it, he was in denial but after the third and fourth time, he couldn't deny what he was seeing.

 _Yet I still ask… Joey, what have you done to me?_

Henry lowered his head.

 _I… I'm not… me… and I don't know if I'll ever be again._

Footsteps were heard. Henry lifted his head up, seeing a very familiar wolf enter the room, worry in his black cartoon eyes.

"Boris…?" Henry whispered.

 _He's… He's early… I've never seen him in this room. Why… Why is he here…?_

Boris knelt before him, a small whine of worry leaving him.

Henry reached up, squeezing his arm, saddened. He was so tired.

 _I guess this is how cruel he's gonna be this round. Boris gets to watch me die this time._

"Hey, buddy… I-I'll be okay."

Boris brought Henry closer, trying to be gentle.

"D-Don't be sad... "

Boris nuzzled him, whining more.

"It's okay… It'll be okay…" Henry wheezed. "Augh…"

 _Joey… I know I ask this a lot but please… Just once… once… mercy… mercy please…_

Things were becoming hazy. It wouldn't be long before it was over. Henry knew it.

"Boris… You're a good boy… Never forget that."

Boris laid Henry back against the wall. He looked Henry in the eyes, determination in them. Henry had never seen this look before on Boris. Never in all the times he had repeated this cycle.

"Boris…?"

Boris looked around the room as if he were checking to see if anyone was watching before looking back to Henry's wound. He pulled a pen out of his overall pocket, drawing something on his hand.

Henry winced as Boris placed his hand over the wound, closing his eyes. Within a few moments, the pain started to fade away. Boris slowly pulled his hand back, satisfied to find Henry's wound gone before wobbling a little.

"B-Boris!" Henry steadied him, shocked at what had just happened. "You… Thank you…"

Boris nuzzled him, smiling… his tail wagging.

Henry took note of this, a bit puzzled.

"Since… when do you have a tail…?"

Boris pulled back a little, giving a look that read "It's a long story."

"Okay… Still… Thank you. You… You saved me."

Boris nodded, slinging his arm over his shoulder, leading him out of the room.

"Safe house?" Henry asked.

Boris nodded.

"Good."

 _And I get to skip to the chase._

 _I guess I'll just say it this once since I'm sure this is his doing and I will take what I can get._

 _Thanks, Joey._

 _You can be a decent human being._

… _But you're still Devil Drew._

oooooo

"A Boris with powers?"

Joey was baffled at the drawing before him. He hadn't drawn it. It was there when he woke up from falling asleep at his desk. It wasn't something he was unfamiliar with, waking up to seeing drawings he hadn't drawn. It was part of the spell after all. Henry had some will to move on his own since Joey, while he liked pulling the strings, loved seeing what his friend could come up with to change the story. This… This was neither of their doing though.

"And he saved him." Joey growled a bit. "No, that's too easy! That's cheating! Boris is supposed to be the sidekick, not the hero. He's supposed to only be semi useful." Joey grabbed up his pencil. "But I can change that easily." Joey went to draw something but stopped as he heard the door to his room creak open.

"Uncle Joey?"

Joey's head looked to see Mary standing in the doorway, her Boris plushie in her arms.

"Mary…" Joey composed himself, setting his pencil aside. "Honey, what are you doing up?"

"It's 8 o'clock in the morning, Uncle Joey." Mary pouted. "It's time for breakfast."

 _Dangit._

He gave her a gentle smile.

"Well then, why don't we get you fed? Don't suppose you'd settle for cereal today?"

 _Please, go for something quick-_

"It's Sunday, I want oven pancakes!" Mary giggled. "Pretty, pretty please?" She batted her eyes.

Joey sighed ruffling her hair.

"Go turn on the oven."

"Yay!"

Joey sighed, wheeling himself out, taking a glance back at his drawing desk.

 _I'll make sure that little nuisance doesn't live past what I need him to._

 _Mark my words, Henry, Boris is still going to suffer._

 _Just like all the times before._


	9. Out of Tune

"Well, here's the music department." Bendy said as they entered a room.

Elias looked around, seeing splotches of ink everywhere and damage done to the walls. Judging by the size of the cuts, they looked like they were made by an axe.

"Looks like Dad's been through here." Elias dug into his backpack, pulling out his aluminum baseball bat. "And I don't like the vibes I'm getting from here."

"Yeah, we better move quick." Bendy went to go check a corridor, a puzzled look on his face. "He never got the drain? That's odd… and concerning." Bendy floated around, heading to another doorway, Elias following after him.

The room they entered was the orchestra area. Chairs were smashed, instruments were broken and splotches of ink were everywhere.

"Oh no…" Bendy searched the room frantically. "Don't be dead, don't be dead, don't be dead."

Elias had concern wash over him as he looked around the area.

 _Looks like there was a fight… Reminds me of that one version of the story Joey told us, though it wasn't in a music room._

" _And then, he was faced by a mad man made of ink, who was determined to kill him to offer him as a sacrifice to his idol."_

" _That's scary… Did he win?"_

" _Well, Little Angel…"_

Elias shook that from his mind.

 _Joey went really far with that one. Wound up wounding Dad with a gun I think… Seriously, Joey, Mary is SIX. You shouldn't be telling her stories like that._

Elias stopped as something caught his attention. It was a note that was written on the wall. Rather neatly, compared to the messages he saw on the walls of the studio and much smaller.

"At safe house. Will deal with angel soon. Father alive. - RB"

"Hey… Bendy? I think I found something."

Bendy hurried over, reading the note over. His eyes widened before heaving a sigh in relief.

"Oh, thank the stars, he found him before the devil did."

He hadn't thought they would be able to get there in time. Elias was fast but the story was capable of moving faster than they could, depending on Joey's mood.

"Who found him?" Elias gave him a worried look. "Who… Who has Dad?"

"Eli… There's a very good friend on our side." Bendy narrowed his eyes. "We gotta get past here so we can meet up with him. You ready for things to get real from here?"

Elias leaned his bat over his shoulder, giving a smirk.

"Born ready."

"Let's go, Little Creator."

The two started to make their way out of the room, both freezing as the projector above them turned on.

"Well… what have we here?"

They looked up, seeing someone wearing a Bendy mask was in the projector room, leaning over to look at them.

"Oh… this guy." Bendy narrowed his eyes.

"A little sheep and a false prophet."

The man jumped down from the projector room and into the orchestra area, revealing he was carrying an axe in one of his hands. He didn't even flinch as he landed, standing up straight, moving closer to Elias and Bendy.

"Bendy, who is this?" Elias asked.

 _He sounds familiar but… I don't want to make guesses without confirmations._

"Sammy." Bendy whispered. "I don't get it, he should be dead already."

"WHAT!?"

Sammy just kept creeping closer, Elias and Bendy finding themselves backed into a corner.

"Now, now, I'm not going to hurt you. That will be up to My Lord."

Bendy growled, narrowing his eyes.

"You stay away from him."

Sammy's movements didn't cease, using the blunt end of the axe to attack Bendy as the small demon was struck in the head, letting out a hiss before lunging at him.

Elias doubled around, his grip tightening on his bat, taking a swing at where Sammy's spine would've been.

Sammy let out a scream of agony before spinning around, swinging wildly at the boy, blinded by Bendy who was trying to pull off his mask.

"I WON'T LET YOU HURT HIM TOO!"

"Bendy-!"

Sammy's hand froze before swinging the axe towards himself at Bendy. Elias' eyes widened before dropping the bat, tackling Sammy down before he could.

The three tumbled across the floor, weapons scattering as they did so. Bendy fell back, growling, his tail swishing angrily.

Elias jumped back as Sammy lunged forward, the boy grabbing a broken piece of chair, bashing him over the head with it.

"WHY WON'T HE JUST DIE ALREADY!?"

"You're askin me, he's supposed to go down eventually!"

 _Unless Joey gave him a power boost this time._

 _Just like…_

 _Just like when he was able to kill Henry that time._

Elias took off sprinting, grabbing up his bat. He whistled, getting into position.

Bendy took his chance to lunge onto Sammy's back, scratching at his mask as much as he could. He met the serious look in the boy's eyes and smirked.

" _Elias, this is the only time I'm going to encourage this behavior. You got it?"_

" _Uh, sure. Why?"_

" _Because what I'm about to teach you better never leave your mouth unless it's at the diamond."_

"I've seen better wind ups on a toy!" Elias called out.

Sammy managed to dislodge Bendy, sending the demon flying into the wall as he yelped.

"You!" He grabbed up a piece of a chair, going to bash Elias over the head, his swing barely missing as the boy ducked to the side.

"Eyyy batter, batter, hey batter! SWING!" Elias yelled, before ducking as another swing was given. "Oh come on, I've seen better swingers on the dance floor!"

Sammy snarled as he charged after him, Elias taunting him the whole way before darting to the same corner he started in. He got into his stance, giving a smirk.

"You couldn't even strike a pose!"

"Why… you… little…"

Elias swung as hard as he could.

CRACK!

Sammy fell backwards, his mask falling off in pieces. The musician groaned, holding his head. Elias moved closer, eyes widening at seeing his face being completely blank.

"That's… messed up."

"Just how it is."

Elias looked to see Bendy hobbling over to him, the little devil darling holding his head.

"Joey… Joey didn't have much mercy with Sammy. While he's messed up in the head he… he's just as trapped as anyone else…"

Bendy toppled over, Elias catching him.

"Bendy, you okay?" Elias asked, cradling him.

"Just a little light headed. Sammy threw me pretty hard."

Elias stood up, holding Bendy close to him.

"I'll carry ya then till you feel better. Just tell me where we need to go. I don't want to spend another second here."

Bendy pointed to a hallway.

"That way."

Elias nodded, heading in the direction. He took one last glance at Sammy to be sure he wasn't following them before darting down the hallway.

"So… is that really thee Sammy Lawrence?"

"Yup… or least his soul anyway." Bendy huddled closer. "His body is long gone at this point. When you're trapped here long enough, you're basically a ghost of your old self. For Sammy and others, their soul is just trying to be set free but they don't know how. They keep asking for a savior… but the savior they're seeking isn't all he's cracked up to be."

"Sammy called you a false prophet… Is there another Bendy or something?"

Bendy sighed.

"I said earlier it was better ya didn't know but… then I forget you've heard the story. Did… Joey ever describe the monster of the story in detail to you or Mary?"

Elias frowned, hugging Bendy closer to him as he walked.

"He once described it, but it got too intense for either of us. Mary couldn't sleep at all that night. A horrible creature, made up of the souls of the…" His voice quivered. "... of the dead… That its inky body was the lifeblood of those it consumed."

"That's it alright… The wrong one." Bendy's tail wrapped around Elias' waist, hiding his face a little. "That's the one that made me look like a monster."

"B-Bendy…?"

"That Bendy, is the monster. It's basically the embodiment of all the pain and suffering this place holds. It likes hurting people. It likes… It likes to kill them." Bendy growled a little. "It just gets worse as the story goes. It… Elias, it thinks killing is the most fun thing in the world! And killing Henry? Is its _favorite_ past time."

Elias frowned at this, stroking Bendy's head.

"That's horrible…"

"And you know the worst part? He doesn't want to think that but he has no choice. He has to do as Joey says… it's why he spat me out."

Elias' eyes widened.

"You were part of him."

Bendy nodded.

"The good left in him. He… I was hurting, Elias. I didn't want to hurt anymore so I had to put all those empathic thoughts somewhere and… you get me. The Bendy who is off model by a few details. I get absorbed back into him from time to time but he just spits me back out because he doesn't want to be in pain again. He doesn't want to feel remorse when he snaps Henry's neck."

Elias froze, looking down at him, his eyes wide in shock.

"Did… Did he, when you… When you were part of him?"

"Once." Bendy looked down, sighing shakily. "Just once. That's when he spat me out, because I was grieving. I didn't want to hurt Henry and he was so scared and… I couldn't do anything! I'm sorry… I'm sorry!" Bendy was shaking like a leaf, his voice cracking. "I'm sorry Elias… I didn't wanna do it, I promise!"

Elias was quiet, before hugging Bendy tightly.

"Shh… Shh…" He whispered. "I know you didn't. You wouldn't have done all this for me and Mary… and for Dad, if you didn't care. If you didn't feel bad for it. It wasn't you who did it, right? It was the bad one."

"He's not bad… He's… He's just a puppet for Joey… We just… just call him bad because he did bad things… because I did bad things… I wanted it to stop. I kept peering into your world hoping to find answers… Then…"

Both froze up as a chill went through air, a hissing noise sounding off.

"What was that?" Elias asked, his eyes darting around.

"Move. Quickly. We need to find a place to hide." Bendy hid his face. "It's him."

Elias didn't waste another second, darting down the hallway, looking for a box or a room to hide in. His anxiety only grew as the walls around them started to turn dark, imagery of ink and veins flashing before him.

Adrenaline was pumping now as Elias dashed down the hallway, hearing the sounds of inky footsteps behind him.

 _Come on, place to hide! PLACE TO HIDE!_

Elias saw something ahead. Something that looked like a storage closet. It had a sign of a halo on top of it and a peep hole of sorts in the door. Elias dashed for it, quickly opening it and slamming it shut, huddling inside with Bendy away from the peep hole.

There were heavy footsteps outside of the container, the creature outside leaning in close before moving on, the footsteps slowly fading as it went around the corner.

Elias' heart was racing as he pushed the door open looking around, seeing the veins fading away.

Bendy kept his hand over the boy's mouth, shaking his head.

 _So we gotta keep quiet for a bit._

He pulled himself out, his knees shaking.

 _What am I gonna do?_

Elias jumped at the sound of a clanking can. He looked to the source, seeing a can of bacon soup being rolled their way.

"Who's there?" Elias said, pulling out his baseball bat, keeping Bendy close to him with his other arm. "Show yourself!"

Footsteps were heard, a figure soon appearing from an opening in the hallway. A tall anthropomorphic cartoon wolf with a long wispy black tail. Elias' eyes widened at the sight of it.

"Boris?"

Bendy wiggled out of Elias' arms, his eyes lighting up in relief.

"Boris!"

Boris let out a gasp as Bendy tackle hugged him, spinning him around.

"Oh, thank goodness! I thought for a sec the devil got ya!"

Boris hugged him tightly, his tail wagging. Bendy glanced to Elias, seeing the boy had a stunned look on his face.

"Wait… I thought Devil Drew always… He's real too!?"

"Yep. This our Boris." Bendy grinned. "Joey has a ton of them running around but this one, he's ours. And he's the best pal any little devil darling or angel could ask for."

Boris smirked, patting his head.

"I mean it!" Bendy laughed, batting his hand away. "He was a Boris that got away and well, we helped him out. Gave him a tail so we could tell him apart from the others."

"I see… Oh! RB! Real Boris- Wait…" Elias got a hopeful look. "You know where Dad is?"

Boris nodded.

"Can… Can you take me to him?"

Boris nodded again, giving a wave of his hand, cradling Bendy. Elias followed after him. His heart was pounding again but for a different reason.

Not out of fear or anxiety.

But excitement.

oooooo

Joey was doing his best to be patient but things were not going his way this morning. Breakfast went relatively quick but… Linda just happened to come in today and wanted to spend the day with them. That was fine and all if his mind wasn't elsewhere. But he couldn't snap at them. He couldn't let them know his secret and the last thing he wanted to do was burn a bridge.

They were all sitting in the living room ,playing a simple game of cards. A harmless game of go fish. Linda was smiling and laughing as Mary thought long and hard about which card she wanted to ask for.

"Which one do you wanna pick, Boris?" Mary asked her plushie.

She made her plushie point towards one her cards.

"Oooooo good one." She looked to Joey. "Got any sixes?"

Joey winced, looking at his cards. She already had one of his from a previous round, now he had two left.

 _Reminds me of when me and Henry would play. He'd fall for my bluff the first time but figure it out soon enough._

"Well, I'll be darned, you got me again little missy." He handed her his cards as she added them to her pile.

"Yay! I got three sixes from Uncle Joey!"

Linda chuckled, smoothing her daughter's hair down.

"You're getting good at this, Little Angel."

"Hehe. Elias taught me well."

"Indeed." Linda frowned. "Shame he isn't here with us. Where did you say he was again, Joey?"

"Huh? Oh. At his friend's house. Uh… Connor. That's what I read on the note on the fridge anway." Joey shook his head. "You'd think he'd have the common decency to tell me in person though. Nearly scared the daylights outta me this morning when I didn't find him in his room."

"That's… not like him." She narrowed her eyes. "He knows he's supposed to say something before heading out for awhile."

 _I'll have to call Connor's mother and see what's going on-_

"I'm sorry." Mary whimpered, startling both of them. Her eyes were downcast, hugging her plushie tighter. "I… I was supposed'ta tell Uncle Joey but I forgot… I'm sorry!"

Linda put her cards down, pulling Mary into her arms.

"Oh, oh, oh, Mary…"

Mary huddled closer.

"'M sorry Mama… 'M sorry Uncle Joey…"

Joey got out of his chair, bringing his arms around both of them.

"Oh, now, now, now, Little Angel, it's okay."

Mary curled up into a ball, keeping her head down.

"You promise? Y-You really promise?"

"Of course. Would Uncle Joey lie to ya?"

 _Yes._ She thought but bit her lip, a few tears getting out as she looked up at them.

"I just… I don't want anyone mad at Eli!"

 _I am so sorry Mama, I'll make up for this later._

 _Please, Eli, just bring Daddy home soon!_


	10. Reunion

"Okay, that should do it."

Henry dusted off his hands, looking at his work. He never really messed around much with the sleeping area of the safe house but he figured it didn't hurt to change things up this time.

 _After all… things are different for some reason. Especially Boris… Still haven't gotten an explanation yet._

Henry had set the cots up with stuffed mattresses, trying to make it more comfy for him and Boris. Took him a bit but he had managed to find enough stuffing from the toy department to fill two whole mattresses. It had been dangerous to leave the safe house without Boris but seemed the rules were different too. Mainly he had been able to get things from there thanks to a new vent path Boris had shown him. Came in handy for the stuffing and for the soup he knew Boris would want.

 _I better get on that._

Henry went to the bathroom to wash up. As he ran his hands under the cold water, he looked up at the broken mirror, frowning at not being able to see his reflection. It drove him nuts some days but he knew why he couldn't see himself. Or at least he had a good guess.

 _Haha, I'm a ghost. Thanks, Devil Drew. Is it why I don't leave footprints either?_

Henry lowered his head.

 _Then again… with how things are I might as well be._

He closed his eyes, memories of home flashing before his eyes.

Linda kissing him on the cheek as he came through the front door, Mary hugging his leg while Elias hugged him around his neck, their laughter echoing in his ears.

" _Daddy's home! Daddy's home!"_

" _Dad I gotta show you my crazy little animation I worked on today!"_

" _Only after he eats. He's had a long day, Elias."_

" _Think we could play with my doll house together after you're done helping Eli, Daddy? And after you eat?"_

" _Anything for you, my little angels."_

Henry sighed.

 _Please let them still be there when I figure out how to get out of here… if ever._

Henry straightened up as he heard the door to the safe house open.

 _Guess Boris got back sooner than I thought he would._

Henry dried off his hands, heading to the main area.

"Boris, that you-"

Henry stopped short as he saw Boris had something in his arms… or rather, someone. Someone Henry had never seen in ink in all his times of running through the studio.

"B… Bendy…?"

Bendy's eyes widened, as he sat up more in Boris' arms.

"Henry…" He floated up, tail swishing.

Henry took a step backwards.

"Wait… The heck is going on!? This wasn't part of the cycle before… You were… You weren't like this."

Bendy frowned lowering his gaze.

"I wanted to help you, Henry."

 _I don't blame him if he's mad. I'd be mad at me too._

Henry looked him over, taking note of the details… in particular the tail.

"You're not the monster."

Bendy looked up, giving a sheepish look.

"Just… a devil darling."

Henry came closer. He looked to Boris for a moment, who gave an encouraging look.

"Henry… I didn't want to hurt you… I thought it was just a game but then what Joey made me do… I'm so sorry… I… I didn't want to hurt you… he doesn't want to hurt you… we don't want to hurt you but… I… I…"

Henry silenced the devil darling as he brought him into his arms, hugging him close.

"Shhh…."

Bendy froze up, before curling up against him, his tail swishing.

"I'm sorry, Father…" He whispered.

Henry stroked his back, resting his head against his. He recognized this voice. It was faint but he knew it.

"I heard you call to me." Henry whispered back. "You pulled me from the void."

"Couldn't leave ya… I… I'm sorry. I'm sorry!"

"Shh…I got you…"

Bendy nuzzled him, a small purring sound leaving his throat. Henry smiled softly, rocking him gently.

"It's okay now."

Boris came over, placing a hand on Henry's shoulder. Henry looked up at him.

"Thank you, Boris… I'm not entirely sure of what is going on but… thank you for this."

Boris nodded, looking to Bendy.

Bendy rubbed at this eyes before pulling back.

"I'll explain everything that's going on but… first, there's something I brought for you… or rather… someone who can help."

Henry gave a puzzled look.

"That so?"

Bendy nodded, looking to the still open doorway.

"You can come in now."

Footsteps were heard as a young man came through the door. Henry's eyes widened as he came closer.

The young man had dark curly hair and wore a cardigan and slacks with baseball knee pads and elbow pads on top of it. While his eyes were black and pie shaped… there was no denying who was standing before him.

He wore the same shocked look as Henry as he stared at him.

Bendy floated out of Henry's arms, keeping quiet.

Henry moved closer to the young man, his eyes misty as he clasped his shoulders, looking him over.

"... Elias?" He asked. "Is… Is that you, kiddo?"

He nodded, not trusting himself to speak, a few tears getting out.

"... Yes." He smiled, relief in his eyes throwing his arms around Henry nearly knocking him over. "It's you! It's really you!" He laughed.

Henry was frozen in place, unable to process exactly what was happening.

His eldest son was hugging him.

He was here.

He was laughing and crying tears of joy.

He was here.

He was really here.

Henry unfroze, bringing his arms around him, tears of his own escaping as well as laughter.

"Eli… Oh, Elias!" He hugged him closer, burying his face into his son's hair. "My son… You're here…!"

Elias buried his face in his shoulder, sighing happily. His father was alive.

He was right there in his arms again.

"I'm here to bring you home. I wasn't gonna leave you behind." He tightened his hug. "Never."

Henry kissed his head, stroking his back.

"Let me get a good look at ya."

Elias moved back as Henry looked him over, taking in the new changes. After a moment, he grinned.

"Even as a couple of living toons, you're still a chip off the ol'block."

Elias chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck.

"You think Liz'll mind?"

"Nah. You're perfect."

Henry hugged Elias close again, sighing happily.

"My boy…"

"Dad…"

They remained silent, enjoy each other's presence for a moment before speaking again.

"I have a lot of questions." Henry started, pulling away from his son. "But I think we can discuss that over some food and a little rest."

Elias nodded, taking off his back pack, digging around till he pulled out a can of chicken soup, offering it to Henry.

"Will this do?"

Henry stared at it in shock, covering his mouth.

"... Dad?"

Henry pulled him in for a side hug.

"I… love you so much."

Bendy busted out laughing.

"BAHAHAHAH! I TOLD YOU!"

"No more bacon soup for awhile?"

"Nope! And we got more too!"

Henry looked between them stunned.

"... I'll ask more after I eat. Let's make with the food!"

 _Yep, he was not kidding. I don't think I've seen Dad look this happy to get food since that time Thanksgiving went late at Grandma's._

Elias nodded, following his father to the kitchen area. Boris and Bendy kept quiet, watching the two interact. For a moment, all the insanity outside didn't seem to exist with just seeing how happy the two were.

"We're making progress, Boris… If anything, I'm just happy to see the two happy, ya know?"

Boris nodded, a gentle look in his eyes. He grabbed a notebook jotting down something.

"I understand. Henry's been so sad without them… and from what you said, Elias was miserable too." The note said.

Bendy nodded.

"Yeah… The kid needs his dad and Henry needs him too. I think together… They really have a chance of making it."

Boris nodded again, jotting down another note.

"And we're here to help them as much as we can."

Bendy nodded.

"Darn right we are… Won't be long before Devil Drew finds out but, we'll still make it work."

The two nodded to each other, going over to Henry and Elias, leaving all the insanity on their minds behind them for now to enjoy this moment of peace.


	11. Missteps to Freedom

Mary was never the fussy type. Even when she was a baby she was very quiet. No one knew this better than Linda. The only person who knew better would be her husband but even then it was only by a little more. Regardless, Linda knew something had to be wrong for her daughter to be crying like that over forgetting to tell Joey a piece of information.

 _Maybe I'm overreacting but… I need to be sure._

Joey was busy with something in his room so it was the perfect time to check in on her daughter.

She quietly approached Mary's room, going to open the door but stopping as she heard a voice she wasn't familiar with… a voice that was talking to Mary. She put her ear to the door, listening in.

"Do you think Eli is okay, Alice?"

"I can't say but… I'm sure he is. He's got Bendy with him so no matter what happens he will be alright."

"That makes sense… I just want him to come back soon."

 _Alice…? Bendy…? As in the cartoon characters Henry broke his back over?_

Linda opened the door quietly, eyes widening at what she saw. There, talking to Mary on her bed, was the cartoon character of Alice Angel. Not as stuffed toy or figurine, an actual living being.

Alice had a gentle look in her eyes as she stroked Mary's hair.

"And he will be back soon. We just need to hold out a little longer and make sure Devil Drew doesn't try anything too drastic to harm Henry again."

"Right." Mary nuzzled her hand. "I just wish I didn't have to lie to Mama too. It's easy to lie to Uncle Joey but I hate lying to her. I always tell her everything. She should know where Papa and Eli are."

"I know but I'm just not sure if she'd believe it or understand what exactly is going on."

Mary sighed heavily, burying her head into her pillow.

"I hate making her worry…"

Linda frowned, shaking herself out of her shock, going over quietly.

"And I hate when you're stressed out." She said softly, startling the two.

Mary's head popped off the pillow with a shocked look, while Alice moved back a little.

"Mommy…?"

Linda looked to them both, still trying to process what she was seeing.

 _If it leads to answers about my family though, I don't care._

She sat on the edge of the bed, stroking Mary's back.

"I'm not mad… I'm not freaked out either. I just want to help my little angel feel better."

Mary whimpered a little, sitting up and throwing her arms around her neck.

"H-How?" She whispered.

"Call it mother's intuition."

Mary sniffled, burying her face in her shoulder.

"I'm sorry… I… I just wanted to help. I couldn't… I couldn't let Joey know that I knew something was going on… He absolutely can't."

"Can't know that you knew about what?"

Mary went quiet, huddling closer. Linda looked to Alice, who was still a bit startled but was doing her best to keep composed.

She took a deep breath before speaking.

"He can't know that she knows what he did to Henry."

Linda's eyes grew wide in horror before they narrowed, hugging her daughter tighter.

"What did he do to my husband?" She asked in a low voice, eying the door as if the man would suddenly darken the doorway.

Alice frowned, looking to Mary.

"She found out recently herself…"

Mary sat up a little, a small frown on her face.

"He made Daddy disappear… He's been hurting Daddy all along and we didn't even know." Her voice cracked. "He's a bad, bad man, Mommy! I don't like Uncle Joey anymore!"

"Oh Mary, darling shh." Linda rocked her a little in her arms. "How long have you known?"

"Since… Since Eli left to go get Daddy. He has to go to the other place… the place Daddy is stuck in."

"What place?"

"The studio." Alice answered. "Or rather, the studio on a different plane of existence that Joey created. To hide his demonic creations… and to present a sacrifice to keep them occupied. You can probably guess who the gatekeeper is and it's not by choice."

"Henry…" Linda held Mary closer. "I knew Joey could be cruel and uncaring but… why would he… why would he do something horrible to someone he considered a dear friend?"

"I'm not entirely sure but… from what I understand, Joey always kind of looked to Henry to fix everything. That Henry was the one who could always find solutions to his problems. Even the biggest ones."

 _Oh… don't even remind me. I'll never forget those days Henry came home from the studio and he looked almost dead because he was the one always meeting deadlines. He was the one trying to help keep the dream alive. He was the one… that Joey relied too much on to make HIS dreams come true. Not THEIR dreams HIS._

" _Henry!?"_

" _Hey… Linda… I… I was able to meet the dead… line…"_

 _Thud!_

" _HENRY!"_

Linda could never forget the night that finally broke Henry. He had nearly worked himself to death at his desk to finish an animation for a cartoon. It had even made the papers. Something that nearly marred the reputation of the studio. Of course it was blown out of proportion, claiming Henry had died when in reality it was more so a close call. Regardless, it was after that incident he quit. He wanted to be there for Linda and for their eventual family that they had been wanting.

Joey had almost been the death of him since the man couldn't do anything by himself. He needed Henry. He needed him a little too much. He needed him so much that the man tried to talk him down from having a family. Linda remembered this. It was right when they found out they were going to have Elias.

Joey was, without a doubt, a very selfish man who never really could figure out how to fix things on his own. This new information just proved that even further.

… _I'm going to take money out of the bank because I'm going to need bail._

"I have half a mind to go bury that man in the backyard." She whispered to Alice.

"I want to, too, Linda, but unfortunately we need him to get Henry back."

Linda hugged her daughter tighter, tucking Mary's head under hers, eyes narrowing.

Once again, Joey had managed to worm his way into their lives. Once again taxing on her marriage, taking up her time.

 _And I actually fell for his act. I should've never even let him LOOK at the kids…_

Now, her husband and son were in danger, danger that Joey caused because he couldn't seem to live without tugging on Henry's life like a puppet master. That now, he was trying to put those same strings on her family.

 _On my babies..._

"How can I help?"

Mary looked up with a hopeful look.

"We gotta keep him outta his room. That's where the storyboards are."

"Storyboards?"

Alice rubbed the back of her neck, pain crossing her eyes.

"They're how he keeps connected with the other world. He changes them any time he wants to torture Henry. Especially when he has something that goes off script. I honestly fear what'll happen when he realizes that his little script is over."

"I see… I'm going to need a better explanation as to what is going on overall but I want to help my husband. I just want my family back."

Alice nodded.

"I'll do my best to explain. Just keep an open mind and everything should hopefully make sense."

Linda made herself comfortable, cradling Mary.

"I'm listening."

Alice closed her eyes as she remembered back to the events of Henry's entrapment.

"It all started with a letter from Joey…"

oooooo

" _Why am I still here…? I… I've done this before haven't I?"_

" _I just need you to see something, Henry. Come by the studio. It'll be worth you time."_

" _No… Please… Not again… Not again!"_

Henry's eyes snapped open, finding himself in the safe house he always took refuge in with Boris during the cycles. He was asleep on his cot, though unlike the times before, there was a bit of weight on him. Glancing down, he saw his son huddled up to his side, along with Bendy curled up on his chest. Both were content where they were.

Henry couldn't help but smile a bit at this, stroking Elias' hair. He still wasn't really sure what to make of having his son here along with the other changes but… at the same time, he knew he was happy to have these changes.

It was a sign that he didn't have to keep doing the same song and dance anymore. That he could escape… and that he wasn't alone anymore.

 _I didn't want Elias to get involved in this but… I can't deny how much I've missed him._

 _How much I've missed my family as a whole._

He kissed Elias' head, laying his head back down. He supposed, a few minutes longer couldn't hurt.

He glanced to Bendy, seeing the little demon was curled up, his tail swishing in the air every now and then, reminding him of a kitten.

 _And it's still crazy to think, he really didn't want to do any of what that devil wanted him to do… Oh, Bendy, I'm sorry I couldn't protect you._

He brought his free arm around him, bringing him in closer.

"I'm sorry." He whispered. "I promise, I'll do better."

Bendy huddled closer, purring a bit in response.

Henry couldn't help but chuckle a little, closing his eyes again. He just wanted to enjoy what he could of his momentary peace for as long as possible.

However, it didn't last as long as he would've liked.

The sound of Boris whining awoke him, the cartoon wolf giving his best puppy dog eyes as he stood over Henry.

Henry couldn't be mad though. It was Boris… and Boris was… well, Boris.

"Hungry?"

Boris nodded.

Henry shook his head.

"Of course you are… Go to the kitchen, I'll be right there."

Boris' tail wagged before he ran off, a skip in his step. Henry chuckled before looking down to Elias and Bendy. They were still sound asleep.

Henry gave them both a gentle shake.

"Elias, Bendy, time to get up."

"Nooooo." Bendy whined, burying his face in Henry's shirt. "Let me sleep forever."

"Mm, what he said. Oblivion sleep sounds nice." Elias mumbled, tucking his head into Henry's side.

Henry rolled his eyes, chuckling.

"Of course, I get two sun slugs for sons." He started to sit up, jostling them as they both let out louder whines. "C'mon, the sooner you're up the sooner we can get outta this heck hole."

Elias opened an eye, falling onto Henry's pillow instead.

"How about we stay in the heck hole for another half hour of sleep?"

"Eli. C'mon."

Elias sighed, slowly getting up, smoothing down his hair

"Okay, okay."

"Meh, fine." Bendy rubbed his eyes, floating up into the air and stretching a bit. "The heck hole isn't that cozy."

Henry chuckled, getting off the cot.

"And I'm making breakfast. What would you guys like?"

Elias perked up at this, digging around in his backpack.

"Let's see… What are you feeling Bendy?"

"Mm…" He yawned. "We got any of that pancake mix?"

"And the eggs to go with it. Seriously, nothing spoils in here?"

"Nope." Bendy grinned, folding his arms behind his back.

Elias pulled out the ingredients, offering them to Henry.

"Pancakes?"

Henry's mouth watered, taking them into his hands. It seemed like it had been years since he had eaten anything but bacon soup.

"You guys are spoiling me."

"You earned it. Bendy said you were getting sick of soup."

"I was… I was."

"Mainly bacon soup." Bendy stuck out his tongue. "Which I don't blame him because despite the labels that stuff DOES go bad after awhile. Even in the heck hole dimension"

"That's Joey Drew Studios for ya." Henry shuddered, making his way out of the sleeping area. "This was the stuff us employees lived on."

Elias and Bendy shared a horrified look.

"Wait… You never told us that!"

"There's a reason your mom gets on my back sometimes about high sodium. Swear Joey wanted me dead by exhaustion or dead by heart attack!" He quipped as he got to work.

… _The sad thing is he's right._ Elias thought.

"I am so sorry Dad."

"Nah. Soon as we get outta here it's real food!"

"Yeah!"

The three filed into the kitchen area, Elias and Bendy sitting at the table with Boris while Henry got to cooking. As Henry worked, Elias took note of something that was on the table. It was a tally mark sheet, with Henry and Boris' names on it. Both their sides had equal amounts of tallies.

"What's this?" Elias asked, picking up the piece of paper.

"Our rounds of go fish." Henry answered. "Boris is actually pretty good at it. Equally matched to my skills."

"Bet I could beat him." He smirked.

Boris narrowed his eyes, wagging his finger.

"Heh, you can try but it won't end well. That's how I got permanent breakfast duty." Henry chuckled. "We've had a lot of good times despite it all. Isn't that right Boris?"

Boris wagged his tail, nodding.

 _That's Dad for ya… He's a lot more relaxed now than he was last night._

Elias looked around them, frowning a little.

 _I just wonder how I'm even gonna break this cycle._

Elias shook his head.

 _All in due time. I'll figure it out_

 _I have to._

 _For all our sakes._


	12. New Draft

Joey couldn't believe what he was seeing on the boards before him. There had to be some error but there it was, point blank in front of him.

Elias was in the story now.

 _How… When… Why!?_

Joey looked over the boards carefully, trying to pinpoint where this started exactly but he couldn't see a start point anywhere as to where Elias came in. He just… appeared in the safe house out of what seemed to be thin air and that was that.

 _First the off script Boris and now Elias and an off script Bendy…_

 _This doesn't make any sense. Why is this all happening? And when did Elias find out?_

 _More importantly… How did he know exactly what happened?_

That was the part that was bugging him the most. Disregarding the off script Bendy and Boris, he knew there was only one way Elias was now in the story. It chilled him to the bone thinking about it since it was the exact same thing he did to trap Henry in the first place. He just didn't understand how Elias found out and knew exactly what to do. The why… well, the answer was right in front of him.

 _He would do anything to get his father back. The boy would do anything for his family, something he gets from Henry._

Joey glanced at the panel that showed Henry and Elias embracing each other. The smile he saw on Elias' face… was the happiest he had seen him in a while. Despite his efforts… Joey was never able to get that same result with his methods of comforting the boy. Even when he gave him Bendy, he didn't get that same smile he was seeing in the boards.

He gripped tightly at his pencil, growling a bit.

There was one thing he would never deny. It always irked him how Henry was able to get most of the things he himself wanted but with what seemed like practically no effort.

A beautiful wife, who always listened to what he had to say, who had his back no matter what. (Sometimes to Joey's chagrin)

Two children, talented and brilliant in their own rights. Perfectly content and happy…

 _None of those, I could ever have. EVER._

 _He even quit working with me to have the boy._

His eyes narrowed as he glared at Henry.

"You wanted your boy back, huh, Ol' Pal? Enjoy your time then… Because when I'm done with you, I'll look like the one who saved him and you'll be the one who tried to pull him into Hell with you."

Joey took a deep breath to calm himself before he began to draw anew…

 _After all, what's a story without a few twists and turns?_

 _Go off script?_

 _Alright._

 _Consider this Draft 2._

oooooo

Elias was shaking a bit as he looked out the door that lead outside the safe house. With all the times he had heard Joey's stories, he was not looking forward to having to experience the horrors himself.

 _Especially that demonic Alice Angel._

Henry put a hand on his shoulder, giving a gentle look.

"It's okay to be scared. Trust me, I'm always terrified when I get to this part during the times I remember. Mainly because I know what's coming but… this time, I admit I'm a bit more optimistic." He brought Elias closer. "Because at least this time, I don't have to do this alone and I know things are going to be different."

Elias smiled back, bringing an arm around his father.

"Long as we're together, we'll figure this out."

"Exactly."

Bendy and Boris were watching in silence, the two already standing on the other side of the door. They wanted to give the two a moment before Bendy spoke up.

"So, we're doing exactly what we discussed over breakfast. We'll play along and well… just do what we can to change the ending. Not entirely sure how we'll do it but by golly we're gonna do everything we can to do so."

Henry nodded.

"Right… and sadly, something tells me Ol' Joey probably has to know by now something isn't right."

"He does… He most certainly does." Bendy held up three fingers, folding each of them as he started to count. "3… 2… 1…" He pointed up.

"And so, our hero continues, with new found companions and a face he never thought he'd see again. What horrors lie ahead? Only time will tell."

Elias had a chill go through him at hearing Joey's voice come out of practically nowhere.

"T-The heck…?"

Henry brought an arm protectively around Elias.

"He knows." He murmured.

"... Is he gonna kill me?" The boy's voice shook a little.

"Doubt it, Linda would kill him if he did… but let's keep you in the middle, yeah?" Henry gave him a reassuring look. "I'm not gonna let anything happen to you. I promise."

Elias smiled a little before determination came to his eyes.

"Let's end this story."

Henry lead the way out, the door to the safe house closing behind them.

"Keep close and keep your wits about you."

Elias nodded, keeping to the middle as instructed. Henry on his left, Boris on his right and Bendy in the front, holding the flashlight.

Elias looked around in both horror in amazement at the surroundings. So many gears and pipes and many other structures that were helping keep the place in working order and holding it together.

"The studio wasn't anything like this when you were working here, right?" Elias asked as they pressed onward.

"No, it was only one floor with a couple of rooms." Henry answered. "The drawing room, my personal desk area because I was Joey's favorite, Joey's office, the sweatbox and the lobby area for guests. Everything we see here… I honestly couldn't tell you if it was real or it's just something Joey cooked up himself as to what he imagined his empire to be. Then again… with all I heard in the papers, I wouldn't be too shocked if this was what it was like after I left."

They soon came upon a room with a locked door in front of them, the door behind them closing shut.

Henry looked to Boris. While he did say he was more optimistic this time about what was to come, he couldn't stop the worry that pulsed through him at seeing Boris already heading towards the vent shaft to help open the door.

"Boris… please be careful."

Boris looked back, giving a small salute, before helping open the door.

 _I hate what's coming… I don't want that "Angel" even laying eyes on my boy. Who knows what she'd try._

As they made their way through, Henry couldn't shake the dread he was feeling. Part of him regretted not spending a bit more time resting before this…

But he was ready to get out of here and go home.

 _And when I get my hands on you Joey, you'll look worse than the chicken scratches you called drawings when we were young._

As they went through the toy production area, Elias took note of the familiar designs.

"Question, you ever get paid for these?" He asked, pointing to one of the plushies in particular.

"HAH!" Henry laughed, getting to quick work in fixing the machine that would allow them access to the next roo., pulling out a Bendy plushie. "That's a good one! I designed 'em, sure, but he never said anything about toy designs!"

"I'm starting to hate him even more." Elias remarked, helping, eying the Boris plush in his hands. He frowned. "Hope Mary's okay…"

 _She's never been a great liar. None of us have but, still..._

They soon finished their task with fixing the machine, making their way through the next room. As they walked, Elias noted how tense Henry was getting.

"Dad?"

Henry let out a long sigh.

"I hate this part."

They entered a room filled to the brim with Alice Angel merchandise. Mainly plushies and cardboard cutouts. Bendy hid behind Henry while Henry brought Elias close to him as the lights in the room went. A few TV screens flickered on, the voice of Alice Angel being heard over the speakers. She was singing her signature song from the show. While it was a fun little tune, Elias couldn't shake the pit that was forming in his stomach as things went on.

Soon, a light came on in a room that they could see into through a window that separated them from it. There was a door that had a star with the name "Alice" written on it. Elias' eyes widened. He remembered this part of the story. He remembered it all too well. Especially how much it made his little sister cry.

Elias buried his face into father's chest, Henry covering Elias' ears as the lights went out and Susie appeared on the other side as they came back, shrieking her notorious line from the story.

"I'M ALICE ANGEL!"

The lights went out again as they huddled close together. Bendy kept the flashlight ready.

Susie chuckled, echoing all around them.

"I see you there… New flies in my endless web."

The lights flickered on again.

"Come along now, let's see if you're worthy to walk with angels."

Henry kept a death grip on Elias' arm as he pulled him away from that room, shuddering.

"Guuuuh."

"What is her deal?"

"Joey's her deal. I'd say more, but she's probably listening. Like usual." Henry replied, shaking his head. "I'll tell you later."

Bendy rested on Elias' shoulder, disgust very much present on his face.

"Let's just say Joey did some pretty dirty dealings with her."

Elias' face contorted at this.

"I don't wanna know."

"Good."

They came up on a "crossroads" or sorts. A sign that was planted between two rooms. One sign read "demon" pointing the room on the left and the other read "angel" pointing to the room on the right.

"Which way is the right one?" Elias asked.

"Neither but I usually go with demon." Henry answered.

They entered the left room, the sound of a door slamming shut going off as soon as they entered. The room in question was flowing with ink that pooled up to about their ankles. There was a chair, a desk and a Bendy cutout present as well. The way the ink flowed into the room was… unnatural to say the least.

Elias noted something that was on the chair. It was a tape recorder. Out of curiosity, he parted from his father, going over to it. He looked to Henry, who gave a nod for him to play it.

"I don't mind. I've heard it over a million times. I honestly think you should hear it too."

Elias looked back to the recorder, hitting the play button, Joey's voice soon being heard from it.

"There's nothing wrong with dreaming. Wishing for the impossible is just human nature. It's how I got started. Just a pencil and a dream. We all want everything without even having to lift a finger. They say you just have to believe.

Belief can make you succeed.

Belief can make you rich.

Belief can make you powerful.

Why with enough belief, you can even cheat death itself. Now that, heh, it's a beautiful and positively silly thought."

Elias was a bit pale as the recording ended, looking to his father.

"This… was what you put up with?"

Henry sighed.

"Joey did a pretty good job at hiding it. I never really… saw this side of him till he got more aggressive. Especially when I told him I was thinking of settling down. Joey… was a man of ideas… and only ideas. I just kept going and well… till I finally learned to stop." Henry shook his head. "But that's in the past now. My only concern is you, Linda, Mary, Boris and Bendy. I can't change what happened, something Joey doesn't seem to understand. But what I can control is what is happening now." Henry made his way over to Elias, taking his hand. "Care to join me in that endeavour?"

Elias smiled, squeezing his hand.

"Gladly."

Henry smiled.

"Come on then. We got an "angel" to visit."


	13. Dance with the Devil

Linda really didn't want to do what she was about to do. She really didn't. But… she had to for the sake of at least buying a little time for Henry and Elias and their friends to figure things out.

 _Every minute is precious and they need all the breathing room they can get… Oh, Henry, please never take this the wrong way with what I am about to do._

Linda took a deep breath before knocking on the door to Joey's room. There was a bit of a grunt heard before he spoke.

"Busy."

"Joey? It's Linda. Do you have a minute?"

There was a moment of silence before the shuffling of paper was heard and Joey answered.

"Come in."

Linda entered, seeing the man at his old drawing desk. He seemed perplexed to see her standing in the doorway.

"I would think you'd be at work." Joey said, though he didn't seem too bothered by this.

"Took the day off to keep Mary company." Linda smiled, making her way over. "And I thought you could use some company too."

"Ah, you're too kind Linda." He turned to her to shield the storyboards from her. "What were you thinking of doing today?"

"Well, was going to start with lunch…" She batted her eyelashes. "Would you care to join me in the kitchen while I cook?"

… _Dangit._

Joey glanced at the boards, seeing where Elias and Henry were currently. They were already hard at work at doing Susie's bidding. It wasn't a bad place to leave but he hadn't finished the last touches for what he had planned for them.

 _What I have down will just have to do. It's already bad enough with Elias in the know. I can't let Linda see this._

Joey put his tools aside, wheeling himself over to Linda.

"Lead the way."

Linda smiled, turning away from him and heading towards the kitchen, utter disgust on her face.

 _Ugh… I feel dirty for doing this._

Linda quickly shook this feeling, putting on her best smile as she got to work on putting lunch together, Joey assisting here and there. While he was focused on her, she could still see him glancing occasionally to where his room was.

 _Just keep him distracted Linda. Just keep him distracted._

 _The less he's at he is at his drawing board the better, right?_

oooooo

"Are we done yet?" Elias grumbled as they returned to Susie's door, the boy carrying a pile of gears in his arms. "How much stuff does she even need?"

"That should be the last of the things on the main floors we'll be fetching for her." Henry said, twirling the wrench in his hand. "Next errand we should be able to get some frustration out."

"Yeah, by chopping me into bits." Bendy gave a mock sad face. "Why do you take so much pleasure in maiming cut outs of me?"

"Because you were a problem child to animate!" He exclaimed cheerfully.

"Oh I feel soooo loved! Eli, back me up!"

Elias just grinned.

"I mean… I like to slingshot my pieces I can't use into the wastebasket when they're really, really bad."

Bendy let out a mock gasp, his jaw dropping… right to the floor.

"You traitor! Hmph, can't expect better from the creator's son, eh?"

"Darn right."

Bendy huffed before hiding again as Elias and Henry dropped the gears and wrench into the delivery chute.

"You certainly work faster when there's two of you." Susie chuckled before it turned bitter. "You saw all those grinning demons while you were working, right? How about we remove them? I got just the perfect tool to make it even more enjoyable."

An axe soon appeared in the tool chute, Henry quickly taking it into his hands.

"Hello, old friend."

Elias couldn't help but chuckle.

"Your favorite, huh? Least, that was always the impression I got from the times Joey told the story to me and Mary."

"It gets a lot done. It can cut things down, be a self defense weapon and can help get rid of evidence."

"Dad, sometimes I worry." Elias said, but he was chuckling, elbowing him playfully.

"Hey, it gets things done. I'll let ya take a turn."

Elias twirled his bat in his hands.

"Naaaah. I got more frustration to take out. I didn't tell you the crud I had to do with ol'Bendy face."

"Please tell me Sammy didn't kill you."

"Naaaah. I annoyed him half to death!" The teenager said cheerfully as they headed out, spotting the first of the cut outs. Elias made a sweeping motion. "Lead animator first."

Henry chuckled, getting right to work.

"Annoyed him half to death, huh?"

"Yeah. Pulled the old baseball taunting on him."

"It was quite the show." Bendy grinned as he went to locate another cut out. "The guy was seeing stars in seconds!"

Henry ruffled Elias' hair.

"Nicely done."

"Just did what I had to do."

The three continued onward, breaking up the cut outs they found as they searched the various levels. Their last stop was the toy workshop, where there were at least a dozen Bendy cut outs. As Henry broke the last one, Susie spoke up.

"Ah, now that was fun!" She laughed gently.

Elias' stomach tangled up in knotts with the tone of her voice.

 _I don't like where this is going._

"Oh! But I forgot to mention…" Her laughter turned sinister. "He hates it when I do that. I would hide if I were you."

Henry didn't waste a second of grabbing Elias and Bendy by their wrists, hurrying over to the closest that was nearby. It was too small to fit all three of them but that didn't matter to Henry.

 _It can fit them. That's all that matters. I can take it._

Henry opened it, shoving Elias and Bendy in, quickly shutting it.

"Dad! What are you-!?"

"Elias, just please close your eyes and cover your ears and don't come out till the demon's gone! Just trust me! Okay?"

Elias' eyes widened horror.

"No! Dad! Please! I'm sure we can squeeze you in here!"

Henry looked to Elias through the peephole, a gentle look on his face.

"It's okay, Elias. I'll be back. Besides… this isn't my first dance with him."

Before Elias could say anything, Henry was grabbed by his neck by a disfigured cartoon hand. Bendy immediately covered Elias' eyes, not wanting him to see what was about to happen next. However, Elias didn't cover his ears in time.

Henry was gasping for breath for a split second before it ended with a dying breath and something snapping. Ink splattering against the floor was the only thing heard for a minute or so before it went completely quiet.

Bendy opened the door of the closest, looking around before moving his hands away from Elias' eyes.

"Coast is clear."

Elias stumbled out, frantically looking around for Henry.

"Dad!? DAD!" He called out.

Henry was nowhere to be seen.

"Dad…?" His voice was trembling. "No… Dad… Dad!"

Bendy placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry kid, he's okay. Well, at least, he will be." His look turned serious. "Elias, I want to head to the nearest Bendy statue. I'll meet you there. Don't ask, just go there. Okay?"

Elias nodded, gripping his bat tighter.

"O-Okay…" He wiped at his eyes quickly before taking off. He wasn't sure what Bendy meant by "he will be," all he cared about was if Henry was alright or not.

 _Please, please, be okay, please be okay…_

He thought back to the hand he saw grabbing his father, shuddering.

 _So, that's what our Bendy got spat out from… Because it wanted to kill Dad over and over and he didn't want to._

He soon spotted the statue in question, slowing his pace as a large puddle of ink formed at the base of it, trembling before it began to shift in form.

 _W-What the?!_

He braced himself for a Searcher, swinging his bat backwards.

The ink shifted a few times before it too the silhouette of a man that was being dragged out by a smaller figure. The ink began to melt away, showing it was Bendy pulling Henry out of the puddle. As soon as he was fully out, the puddle faded and Henry collapsed to the floor, gasping for air. Bendy was floating in the air, panting.

Bendy looked to Elias, giving a thumbs up.

"See? Nothing to it."

Elias hurried over to Henry, kneeling down to his level.

"Dad?" He shook him gently. "Dad, can you hear me?"

Henry opened his eyes slowly, giving a weak smile.

"Loud and clear, Kiddo."

Elias bit his lip, his eyes welling up with tears before throwing his arms around his father, sobbing.

"Don't ever do that again." Elias buried his face into his father's shirt. "You hear me?"

Henry brought his arms around him, stroking his hair.

"I hear ya… Shhh, it's okay…" He frowned. "I'm sorry I scared you."

Elias sniffled, shaking his head.

"I mean it. NEVER, ever, do that again you colossal knucklehead!"

"Oh, oh, oh, Eli…"

Henry sat up, keeping his son close.

"I am not losing you like that again. Don't care if it was for a few minutes, that was awful!"

"I'll try… Okay? I promise to try."

"Good." Elias huddled closer, calming down a little. "Good."

Henry cradled Elias, rubbing circles into his back.

Bendy sat on Henry's shoulder.

"Always have to be so dramatic, don't ya?"

Henry gave a small smile.

"Kind of comes with being the "main character" if you haven't noticed."

"True, true." Bendy nuzzled Elias, purring to help calm him more. "But seriously, let's not do that again."

Henry nodded, kissing his son's head.

"I promise."

Elias sighed in relief as he calmed down fully. He wiped at his eyes, looking up at Henry. He smiled tiredly.

"Sorry."

"It's okay… You alright?"

"I will be…" Elias got up, helping Henry to his feet. "Long as you're okay."

"I am." Henry ruffled his hair. "Let's finish things up here, shall we?"

Elias narrowed his eyes.

"Let's. I got a bone to pick with that "angel"."

They started to make their way back, Bendy ducking into hiding as soon as he could.

 _This time, I'm bringing it all back to you Susie._

 _This, is for what you just did and for all the times Mary woke up crying._


	14. Like Father, Like Son

"What do you see, Alice?"

Alice held up a finger to signal she still needed a moment to look over the storyboards before giving an answer.

"They're doing okay." She answered. "Looks like they're still working their way through… Alice's chapter." Alice sighed. "I always hated that part of the story."

Mary frowned at this.

"That "Alice" is a big meanie. You're really nice."

Alice smiled, patting Mary's head.

"Thanks, Mary." She looked back to the boards. "I always felt so helpless during that part… or just in general. I never could help Henry like Bendy and Boris are doing right now. I'd be split in two since there are two characters who have my essence."

"The bad Alice and… Allison?"

"That's right. I never minded Allison but… I just wished I could do more."

"Well, you're doing more now." Mary smiled. "You're helping me and Mama while the boys do the work."

"Right." Alice looked at the board that was currently starting to from. "Looks like they're almost at the end of the brawl… Which means…"

Mary swallowed hard.

"The scary projector man?"

Alice nodded.

"That's right. The Projectionist."

oooooo

"HOMERUN!"

Elias sent the last of the barrage of demented cartoon characters flying into a wall. It shrieked before melting into ink, disappearing from sight, the room going silent for a moment before Susie spoke.

"So quiet. Like a welcoming grave. I like silence, don't you?"

Elias wanted to say something but he got a signal from Henry not to do so.

"Just let her talk." He whispered.

"I hate leaving work unfinished!" Alice continued. "Fortunately, I have you to pick up the pieces." she chuckled. "And an extra hand or two. But… you'll have to go deeper. Down, down, down into the abyss. Take the lift down. Say hello to an old friend."

There was a click heard as the utility machine started to turn to reveal a new tool.

"Sending you a little present." Susie said. "A little firepower. Take good care of it. It belonged to someone very special."

Elias' eyes widened while Henry narrowed his own.

A tommy gun was in the machine now, one Henry recalled quite well… more so for the times he never was able to use it.

He reached forward, fingers brushing the cold metal. He was used to it fading to ink…

This time, it was a hefty weight in his hands as he lifted it out. He moved a bit away, making sure it was loaded.

 _I have a horrible, horrible feeling about this. I've never gotten this thing._

He looked to his son, giving him a reassuring look.

"Let's go."

They headed for the lift, Elias eyeing the gun with a weary look.

"Dad, you've never used one of those things." He whispered.

"No time like the present to learn then. We'll need it." Henry looked to him. "Whatever you do, I mean it, no heroics. Just stay close."

Elias bit his lip.

"I'll try. Just don't shoot your eye out."

"Hah."

As they entered the lift, Bendy poked his head out of Elias' backpack, giving them both a concerned look as soon as he saw the weapon.

"She's kidding us right? It's gotta be cursed."

"It's definitely cursed. Let's just hope it's cursed for our old "friend"."

Boris reached a hand out, squeezing Henry's shoulder.

He smiled.

"I promise, we'll come back safe and sound. This is gonna be the end."

The lift reached its destinatio, as Henry and Elias walked out, both going quiet.

There was a deformed cartoon near the stairs, slumped over.

Henry aimed the gun, just in case, but it didn't move as they passed it…

Until Elias was about to go down the stairs as it lurched forward, grabbing the back of his leg.

"ACK!"

THWACK!

Henry winced at the sound before putting a finger to his lips.

There was another noise now.

There was a mechanical squeal, followed by a sound they both knew. Tape from a projector, being rolled back, followed by a click.

"Shhh…" Susie whispered, causing Elias to jump, while Henry grimaced.

It was dark, ink flooding the floor as if the area was a small lake… a figure skulking in the darkness, a spotlight of sorts on the ink.

"There he is… The Projectionist, skulking in the darkness."

Henry put a finger to his lips as they quietly waded into the ink.

Bendy dove into the backpack.

"He hates me." He whispered.

"Stay out of his light…" Susie teased. "Just bring me the pieces I need."

 _Oh, I'll bring you your pieces alright. I'll bring a bat for ya too!_

Henry made his way over to an entrance of a structure as quietly as he could, leading Elias along, the gun ready to fire if he needed to.

 _I may have the power to kill him now but… I can't kill an old friend._

 _Only if I absolutely have to._

"So, what are we looking for exactly?" Elias asked in a whisper.

Henry held up a white colored heart that was oozing with ink.

"Eww! Where did that come from?" Elias covered his mouth.

 _ECK! That is disgusting!_

"From the toon that grabbed your leg." Henry said, putting it into his pants pocket. "We need five more."

"You put it, in your pocket…. You put the demented cartoon heart in your pocket like it was no big deal." Elias gave his father a disgusted look. "Dad what the heck!?"

"I've done this at least over 400 times. It really doesn't bother me anymore. Plus, toon logic. I got as much space in there as I need."

"... And you didn't do this for the gears, why?"

"Because they're too big to go through the entry hole. Now, shush. We need to focus on finding the hearts."

"Right, right. He says, like we're going to the grocery store to buy food."

"You better not stuff them in here." Bendy hissed. "They'll get ink on everything."

"Oh hush, it's not like you can't wipe it off."

Bendy's tail whacked Elias in the back of the head lightly.

"Nope. Don't you even think about it!"

Henry stopped, turning to them, his eyes narrowed.

Elias covered his eyes with his free hand.

"Dad, not the Look. Not now."

"Then let's get a move on before The Projectionist comes back."

Elias nodded, not daring to speak. They made their way carefully through the labyrinth like area, picking up hearts as fast as they could, staying out of the Projectionist's way as best possible.

They were near their goal. Just one last heart and then they could leave.

However, just as they were about to turn the corner, light illuminated the walls of the area. Henry reacted quickly, pushing Elias away from it, hurrying quickly to the closest hiding spot he could find for him. Sure enough, a closest wasn't too far off for him to hide in.

Henry rushed over to it, throwing it open, shoving Elias inside before shutting it.

"Stay here till I get back. I need to go hide myself so Nor-The Projectionist can calm down. I'll come back for you once I get the last heart."

"Please promise me you'll actually hide." Elias pressed against the door a little, worry in his eyes.

Henry gave a small smile.

"I will. Trust me. If there's anyone I can out run, it's this guy."

Henry left without another word, leading The Projectionist away from where Elias was hiding. Elias shuddered as the shrieking noise the creature made. It was otherworldly and sounded more like a shriek of agony rather than a war cry.

Elias waited till it was quiet before looking outside the peep hole again. It was all silence save for the sound of flowing ink.

 _Just need to wait for Dad… Just need to wait for Dad… Just need to-_

Elias' eyes widened as he noted something not too far from the closest.

There, sitting in the corner of a wall directly across from the closest was a corpse of a Butcher Gang member, a beating cartoon heart sitting right on top of it.

 _The last heart! … Oh no and Dad doesn't know._

Elias looked about the area. It… seemed clear, as far as he could tell.

 _I shouldn't… but… it's not that far. And I want to help more than I've been able to._

Elias waited another moment before opening the door, making his way over to the heart quickly.

"Elias, what are you doing!?" Bendy asked, sticking his head out of the backpack. "Dad said to stay put till he got back!"

"It'll just take a second." Elias said, grabbing up the heart. "See? And Dad didn't know the heart was here. He would've been going in circles. This'll help make it go by quicker when he gets back."

"Fine, fine, can we get back to the box now?"

"Yes, yes, just need to-"

"SCREEEEEEEEECH!"

Elias froze as he was caught in the light of The Projectionist. His eyes were wide as he beheld the monster.

"ELIAS! MOVE!" Bendy shrieked.

Elias heart pounded as he made a mad dash for the closest. However, before he could get inside, he was grabbed by one of his legs, causing him to topple over, his head hitting the base of the closest.

"ACK!"

"ELI!"

Bendy came out of the bag, trying to scratch at The Projectionist but to no avail. The Projectionist gave a might sweepy of his arm, sending the little devil darling flying into a wall, a loud thud resounding through the area.

Elias tried to get up, his body trembling. He gasped as he was grabbed by his neck, the boy being lifted up into the air. He stared down in horror at The Projectionist. While it had no face, the light coming from the projector that made up its head was just as eerie.

Elias gasped for breath, trying to break free but to no success. He was losing consciousness, fast.

 _Dad… Help… Me!_

The last noise Elias heard as things went dark was someone screaming before Elias was slammed into the ground, the ink of the area consuming him entirely.

"NO!"

Henry stared in horror at seeing his son disappear into the ink. He was frozen, his mouth agape. The Projectionist looked towards him, almost as if it were smiling, pleased with what it had been able to accomplish.

 _Elias…_

Henry's horror melted into rage, his eyes having a fire to them. He cocked the tommy gun at The Projectionist, his teeth bared as a growl escaped him.

"I really didn't want to do this Norman but you forced my hand!"

The Projectionist went to charge, only to be stopped as several rounds penetrated its chest.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

"SHRIEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!"

The Projectionist fell to the floor, going limp. Henry approached it slowly, the gun still ready to fire. After a gentle nudge with the barrel of it, it was evident that the creature was now dead.

Henry's breathing was rigid as he stared at the The Projecnist's body.

He killed him.

He actually killed him.

Henry lowered his head.

"Sorry…. Norman."

Henry turned his attention away from it, looking to where Elias had disappeared. All that was left was a cartoon heart sitting where he had been.

Henry fell to his knees as he looked at the heart, tears welling up in his eyes.

"Elias… Why didn't you listen to me…?" Henry choked, picking up the heart. "Why… Why did you…" He bit his lip. "Why didn't you wait till I got back!?"

Henry lowered his head, a few sobs getting out.

"Elias…"

Henry banged a hand into the ink, letting out a scream.

The area was silent, save for the flowing of the ink.

A hand touched Henry's shoulder, causing the man to sit up straight. It was Bendy, who had a reassuring look in his features.

"Bendy…?"

Bendy held up a hand.

"Just… follow me."

Bendy helped Henry to his feet, leading him out. They stopped at the Bendy statue that stood outside the labyrinth.

Bendy opened a portal before diving in, leaving Henry by himself. He waited in silence, his entire body shaking. He wasn't sure what to expect.

After a moment, a small whirlpool formed at the base of the statue. Two forms came from it. Henry's eyes widened as the forms took on that of Bendy and Elias. The ink melted off, revealing that it was indeed them.

Bendy flopped onto the statue, gasping, while Elias fell to his knees, coughing up a storm.

"Augh… man did that hurt…" He coughed before looking around, confused. "Wait… What… What just…?"

Henry fell to his knees, bringing his son into his arms, a sob escaping him again, startling the boy.

"D-Dad?"

"Don't you EVER scare me like that again!" He exclaimed, holding him tightly. "Why… why didn't you listen, you knucklehead?"

Elias frowned, bringing his arms around his father. It hadn't been that bad, had it? He was only out for a minute or two right?

"M'fine… I-It wasn't that bad, I just got knocked out-"

"No… You died."

Elias' eyes widened.

"W-What…?"

"You died Elias… You died." Henry held him closer. "You did the exact same thing I did once upon a time during a loop. I never wanted you to experience that. I've danced with death plenty of times but you… I never wanted you to wind up in the well. I wasn't even sure if the same rules applied to you. I'm glad they did but… Oh, Elias."

Elias huddled closer to his father, his eyes trembling.

"D-Dad… I… I'm so sorry… I… I didn't… I just…" He buried his face. "I just wanted to help."

Henry didn't say anything, just keeping Elias close to him, his head resting atop of his. They stayed like this for a moment before Henry stood up, Elias cradled his arms, heading for the stairs that lead to the lift.

Boris gasped as seeing the state the two were in, rushing to them as soon as they stepped into the lift.

Henry sat down again, Boris joining them as well as Bendy. Boris wrapped his arms around them, whining a little. Bendy wriggled his way into Elias' arms, purring a bit, hoping to calm the two down.

"S-Shouldn't we be heading back up…?" Elias asked.

"It can wait." Henry said. "She hasn't said her usual lines anyway. I almost just lost my son. I don't want to go anywhere for a bit."

Elias went quiet, tucking his head back under Henry's.

"Just… Give it time kiddo." Bendy stroked his arm. "You both need to rest and… I think we're all pretty spooked."

"Sorry.." He murmured. "M'really… really sorry…"

 _I can't scare Dad like that again…_

 _I can't hurt him again like that._

Henry held them all closer, relaxing a bit.

"You're all here now. That's all that matters to me."


	15. The Final Draft

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

Joey and Linda straightened up at the sound of Mary screaming. Both didn't waste a second to hurry to Joey's room, finding the girl crying up a storm as she looked at Joey's storyboards, Alice floating right next to her, trying to calm her down.

Joey was both shocked and confused at what he was seeing. He was in pure shock that Mary had gone into his room and found the storyboards and confused as to what a fully perfect Alice Angel was doing in his house. That was something he only thought was possible in his story world.

Linda hurried over to Mary.

"Mary what happened!?" she asked.

Mary couldn't take her eyes off the paper, trembling with fear.

"He killed Eli!" She sobbed. "HE KILLED ELI"

"He WHAT!?"

Linda looked at the boards before her gaze shifted to Joey, her eyes narrowed.

"That… is… IT!" She grabbed him by the shoulder, pulling him right over. "LOOK AT WHAT YOU DID, YOU IDIOT!"

Joey was mortified. This wasn't meant to happen! The Projectionist was supposed to kill Henry, not the kid!

"Linda, I don't know-"

"Don't you even start with that "I don't know" crap!" Linda leaned in close, eyes blazing with fury. "He's SEVENTEEN! What is WRONG with you!?"

"Linda, he wasn't even supposed to be there!" He blurted out before he could stop himself. "... How long have you known?"

"Long enough." She crossed her arms, taking a deep breath. "Joey… Why? Why our family?"

Mary looked up at him, tears streaming down her face.

"I thought you loved us.." She murmured, her voice cracking.

Joey was stricken with silence.

It wasn't supposed to be like this. This was not how he imagined it in the slightest.

He was supposed to have everything while Henry fixed his mistakes. He was supposed to have what Henry had and get away with it. He was supposed to have Linda as someone for him to look to, Elias as someone for him to mentor and Mary as someone for him to raise and love. He was supposed to have EVERYTHING. It made perfect sense…

Or least… it had.

The look on Mary's face said otherwise.

"I… I do…" He said.

"Then why did you take Daddy away?" Mary whimpered. "He never did anything wrong. Never! He was your best friend!"

"Indeed he was." Linda glared at Joey. "He was always there for you no matter what. He held out for so long. Gave you so many chances than you deserved. He almost died because he wanted to be a good friend to you. And then, the moment he let's you back into his life, you do this… THIS is how you repay him for everything he ever did for you? THIS is what you think he deserves!?" Linda sneered at him. "Joey Drew, I always thought you were scum but you know what, that's too polite at this point. You think the monster is the demon you left in their to torment Henry? No… Joey… YOU'RE THE MONSTER."

Joey was speechless, lowering his head. He couldn't meet their eyes. Linda was right… She had always been right.

He hated that about her when she had started dating Henry, but now, he supposed that's what made her the person Henry fell for…

 _She always speaks her mind. Used to drive me crazy when she was trying to get Henry to take time off… but she's right._

 _I darn near killed him in the past working him to death… and this is how I thank him after all these years?_

Joey ran a hand through his hair, letting out a long sigh.

"Linda… I don't even know how to begin to make up for this."

"You always took, never gave. If you want to make it right, give for once in your life." She spat. "Give my husband back! Give me my SON back!"

Joey flinched.

"Linda I-"

Mary tugged on his shirt sleeve.

"Please, Uncle Joey?" She whimpered. "Can I please have my daddy back?"

Joey stared at Mary before looking to Linda… and then to Alice. That was the one thing he wasn't sure how to process.

Alice floated over to him, both sadness and anger in her features.

"Joey… it's time to let go." she said, her voice sounding like Susie's for a moment.

"Alice…"

"Everyone there is suffering. You want so much to think the past wasn't that bad, that there is a way to fix it but… you can't change what happened. Not even Henry has that power. The power you have is to finally put a proper end to this. If there is one last good thing you can do, it's to finally finish the final draft and move on. Please… for Henry… For this family… For everyone."

Mary tugged at his shirt sleeve again.

"Please…?"

Joey was silent for a few moments before sighing, lifting up Mary into his lap, rolling his way over to his desk, picking up his pencil.

"I expect after this all over… none of you will want to see me again… and I understand… but… I at least want to do something right for once." Joey looked down at Mary. "Something… that will make you all happy."

Mary rested her hand over the one holding the pencil.

"You can. I really want my daddy and brother back."

Joey frowned, nodding.

"Let's see… How to start…"

"No elevator crash. No scary dead Boris." Mary replied. "They just… get to the last part. The last part of the story."

"A magical elevator, huh?"

She nodded, smiling, as Joey began to sketch.

"Our heroes, resting, began to awaken in the elevator…"

 _Let's make this right._

oooooo

"Henry?"

Henry stirred but he didn't want to wake up. If he had his way, he didn't want to wake up for awhile.

"Henry… wake up."

Henry grumbled, opening one eye… before both flew open at seeing Allison and Tom standing at the elevator entrance. Instinctually, he brought, Elias, Bendy and Boris close to him, the man ready to fight if he needed to.

"What are you two doing here?" Henry looked around.

He didn't recognize this floor.

"And where are we?"

Allison held up a hand.

"We're not here to hurt you."

Bendy poked his head up, hissing.

"Suuuuure. I smell a devil and it's not me!"

Allison shook her head, producing a letter from her dress pocket, offering it to Henry.

"Maybe this will change your mind."

Henry looked at the letter, raising an eyebrow as he saw the initials "J.D." on the front of it… along with the initials "M.S" right next to it.

"I'll take a look at that." Bendy said, swiping the letter, floating up into the air as he opened it to read. "Let's see…" Bendy looked it over for a moment… before his jaw dropped. "... Uh… Henry. You definitely are going to want to read this."

"Hm…?" Elias stirred, rubbing one of his eyes. "Was going on?"

"Not sure." Henry said as he took the letter from Bendy, his eyes widening at what was written on it. "Mary…?"

"EH!?" Elias sat up at this, looking at the letter.

Boris was awake now as well, taking an interest in what exactly was transpiring.

Henry began to read it aloud.

"Dear Daddy,

I'm having Joey write this letter because I still can't write very well and he doesn't want me touching the pencils for some reason. Mommy and I know what's going on and we wanted to help. Joey is going to make things right. We're both making sure of that. All three of us.

We're making a new ending. A happy one. Just follow along.

See you soon, Daddy!

\- Mary

P.S. Henry… this is Joey… I know nothing I say will ever make you forgive me but… Mary is telling the truth. I just want you to know… I do want to make this right. For the sake of them… and for everything I ever did… It's… time I faced my demons. I will do all I can to make this fast and painless as possible. See you on the other side."

Henry's eyes were misty as he lowered the letter, wiping the tears away. He missed his daughter so much.

As for Joey… He couldn't decide whether he wanted to thank him or punch him in that moment.

All he wanted to do now was go home. He rolled the letter up, stashing it into his pocket.

"That's all the proof I need… Eli?"

"Yeah?"

He smiled, ruffling his hair.

"Let's go home." He turned to Allison. "What's the best route?"

Allison and Tom started to head down a corridor Henry didn't recall being there before.

"Down this way, it's a short cut. You won't have to deal with the boat this time."

Elias blinked. He must have been asleep for that part of the story.

Henry winced.

"Don't even start, reminding me of that torture machine."

"Boat?" Elias whispered.

"Boat that never wanted to work properly." Bendy whispered back. "There was a lot of screaming and hitting it with a pipe."

"Doesn't sound like a nice boat."

"Can we stop talking about the Boat Ride Through Hell!?"

Elias and Bendy grinned sheepishly.

"Yes, Dad!"

Henry shook his head, turning back to Allison and Tom.

"So, how sincere do you think he is in that? I believe Mary, that's my little girl's voice… I'd know how she talks anywhere. But Devil Drew…" Henry frowned. "I'm still struggling to understand WHY he did all this."

"Henry… that's something we're both wondering. We want the same thing as you. He just finally gave us our autonomy back." Allison frowned, her free hand looping with Tom's. "We want to go home just as bad as you."

Tom frowned, keeping close to her.

"Well… let's not delay then."

They ventured further down the halls, keeping quiet. The area went dark for a moment before it became light again. The hallway in front of them had a long window beside it, showing a part of the studio they hadn't been able to access.

As they walked by it, chills ran through all of them as they saw "Bendy" walk on by them, paying them no mind.

Bendy huddled into Elias' backpack, shuddering. Elias moved closer to Henry, the man bringing an arm around him.

"It's okay. He doesn't do anything. He never has in the past." Henry reassured him. "He's got somewhere he needs to be."

"And where's that?" Elias asked.

Henry looked ahead, the end of the hallway in sight. The end of it opened up to a large area that had a lake of ink, and at the end of that lake, was a huge brick like structure that resembled the ink machine Elias remembered seeing before he entered the alternate plane.

"Is that…?"

Henry nodded.

"The ink machine. The one upstairs was merely a piece. This, is the whole thing."

"It's… like a fortress."

"Yeah…" Henry looked to Allison and Tom. "And this is where we part ways."

"Huh? Why?"

"We can't wade through the ink like you two can." Allison frowned. "We won't be seen again if we do."

"Then that means…" Elias looked to Boris.

Boris nodded, going over to the two, giving them a big hug.

Henry hugged him close, Elias doing the same.

"We're gonna fix this. Just stay safe and stay together, alright?"

Boris nodded, nuzzling Henry, smiling reassuringly.

Henry smiled, nodding, a bit of sadness in his eyes.

"I'm just glad I finally got to save you."

Bendy poked his head out of the backpack.

"You stay outta trouble. I'll be back!"

"Bendy no-"

"I'll be in the bag!"

Elias looked to the devil darling.

"Bendy, what if something happens? I don't want you getting hurt."

Bendy had a serious look, thumbing to himself.

"The big guy is still part of me. I think it's time I bring it all back to him too. I want things to end too."

"Bendy…"

Bendy's gaze shifted to a pleading one.

"Please… let me make up for all the trouble the other me's been causing. All the trouble I've been causing." He pleaded. "I'll keep in the bag."

Elias looked to Henry.

"Dad, it's your call."

Henry sighed, thinking over the odds… but he couldn't deny, Bendy had a point.

"Just don't do anything reckless. Got it?"

"I think we got all those urges out back there."

Both Henry and Elias shuddered, the boy shoving Bendy head first back into the backpack.

"Okay, you're banned from bringing it up!"

Henry looked out at the ink before he started to wade into it.

"C'mon, your mom and sister are waiting for us." He looked back to the others, smiling. "Thank you, for everything."

Allison, Tom and Boris nodded, waving to them as they made their way over to the machine.

It was silence between the three crossing as they entered the machine's doors. What was inside… Elias wasn't really sure what to make of it.

Behind glass cases he could see figures started to be made from ink. Some more well formed than others. One thing that sent a chill down his spine was seeing one of the empty cases with the words "I still remember my name!" written in ink on the back wall.

"Dad… how much of what we see here… is what Joey actually did?"

"Couldn't say…" Henry frowned, noting the text. "I don't think Joey ever had the money for any of the things I saw. The studio did flourish for a time but… we just couldn't compete with other studios who were leagues above us. Who actually had people behind them that knew how to work and not just be a man of ideas."

"Because that's all he ever was." Bendy added. "A man of ideas… and only ideas."

"Well… seems he's doing something beyond that for once." Elias said, looking ahead.

At the end of the hallway of display cases, was a set of large doors. Elias dreaded to see what was on the other side… as did Henry.

Henry went to the switch by the door, throwing it, the doors opening slowly.

On the other side, was a familiar site. A throne that sat upon a mound of gears and projectors that were running, showing all the Bendy cartoons ever created on the walls surrounding it. No matter how many times Henry saw it, it never failed to send a sickly feeling through his body.

They approached the throne cautiously, noting the reel that was left on the seat.

Bendy came out of Elias' backpack, picking up the reel, looking to the recorder that was next to the chair. He looked to Henry, who gave a nod as he hit the play button, Joey's voice filling the room.

"It's simply awe-inspiring what one can accomplish with their own hands. A lump of clay can turn to meaning… if you strangle it with enough enthusiasm. Look what we've built! We created life itself, Henry! Not just on the silver screen, but in the hearts of those we entertained with our fancy moving pictures. But… when the tickets stopped selling… when the next big thing came along… only the monsters remained… shadows of the past. But you can save them, Henry! You can peel it all away! You see, there's only one thing Bendy has never known: He was there for his beginning…"

Bendy floated over to Elias and Henry, offering to the reel to them. Henry took it, flipping it over to see the label he had seen time and time again.

" but he's never seen:.."

"The en-" Henry stopped seeing the text was different this time.

Instead of "The End" in its place… was "Happily Ever After".

"... Happily Ever After…?" Henry read aloud.

Both looked up, seeing the monster Bendy staring down at them. Elias stumbled back at seeing he looked different. Something right of a nightmare. He was bigger now and his teeth actually stuck out, sharp and ready to bite. However, he didn't move, the monster focused on Bendy floating in front of him.

"Hey big guy…" Bendy said, floating closer. "Been awhile, huh?"

The beast gave a low growl.

"B-Bendy what are you doing!?" Elias called out.

The beast snarled at Elias before Bendy held up a hand, looking Elias stern in the eye.

"Trust me. I know what I need to do. I can feel it." Bendy turned to the beast version of himself. "Hey, it's okay." Bendy moved closer, getting the beast to settle down. "It's going to be different this time." Bendy looked to Henry. "Put it in."

Henry hesitated before putting the reel into the projector reader. The beast looked the screens around, seeing the words "Happily Ever After" read on all of them. It was quiet before it started to whimper, lowering its head.

"It's okay…" Bendy brought his arms around its head. "It's okay… you can rest now. It's over… We can move on… All of us."

Henry made his way up to the beast, stroking his head gently.

"We don't have to fight anymore."

The beast nodded, soon fading away into a gentle light, the light going right into Bendy as he sighed in relief, falling into Henry's arms.

"Dizzy…"

Henry smiled, hugging him close.

"Feel better though?"

"Much…"

Elias joined in on the hug.

"It's really over?"

"Yeah… least… I think so."

Around them, the room began to shift, the throne fading away as light surrounded them.

Within moments, they were surrounded by those they had faced previously.

The Projectionist, as its monstrous form faded, to a man Henry knew all too well.

Norman Polk smiled at him before he faded away from view.

The ink that made up Sammy's twisted form, faded, as the mask fell from his face, revealing his true self. He looked at his hands, shocked, before looking up.

"Thank you." He whispered, before he looked behind him, fading away as well.

Susie was laughing as her monstrous form disappeared, as her true self was revealed.

"What's happening?" Elias whispered.

Henry had a sad smile on his face, squeezing his son's shoulder.

"They're going where they need to go, son."

The last two they saw were Allison and Tom, walking hand in hand as the too vanished.

Bendy looked to the two, a sad smile on his face.

"This is it fellas… You two gotta go now." He kept close to them. "We'll see if I can still visit sometime, eh?"

"Yeah." Henry hugged him tightly. "I love you son. Don't forget that."

Bendy churred.

"I love you too, Dad." He looked to Elias. "Be good now. I'll be watching."

"If this goes well, I'll be seeing ya soon enough." Elias smiled, hugging him one last time. "We're ready."

Bendy moved away from them as the area faded from around them.

"Good bye, fellas. See you around."

With a yell, both were sent falling back, Henry reminded far too much of the start of this whole cycle before…

THUD!

Henry groaned, rubbing his head.

"Ugh…" He slowly opened his eyes, wincing as the light of day trailed in from a broken window. For the first time in who knows how long he could recall, the walls weren't covered in a sepia tone. He looked down at his hands, seeing they were back to normal.

"Mn…"

He turned to his right, seeing Elias sprawled out beside him, the teen rubbing his head. He was a little roughed up… but he was alright. He wasn't a toon anymore.

"We're… We're back." He breathed, before he started to laugh. "Elias! We did it!"

Elias grinned, throwing his arms around Henry. They were still sitting in the center of the circle that had transported them but it wasn't trying to pull them in any more.

"Dad!"

Henry hugged his son tightly for a moment, before moving him to arms length, giving him a grateful look.

"You saved us… You did it."

"We did. We really did." Elias sighed happily, keeping close to Henry for a moment before helping him to his feet. "Let's go home, Dad."

Henry nodded, holding Elias' hand as they started to make their way out.

Henry took one last look at the studio, giving a small wave before exiting.

 _Goodbye, old friend._


	16. Letting Go

Linda and Mary sat in silence with Joey. Mary huddled up to her mother and Joey just staring at the finished story.

He really wasn't sure how to feel about everything coming to a close like it did. He wasn't sure if he was to be angry since everything he wanted was now going to be taken back… or he was to be happy he actually did something right for once.

" _You should be happy with yourself, Joey,"_ Alice had told him before she disappeared from sight. " _You did the right thing. That's something to be proud of."_

Joey lowered his head.

 _Everyone… I really am sorry for what I did. I got so caught up in wanting success that… it just ate me alive… and I became the monster everyone feared._

It was quiet for another moment before they heard the sound of the front door being opened.

"Mom! Mary!"

Linda and Mary looked up, seeing Elias enter the room. He was roughed up but… he was right there. He was right there and all in one piece.

"Eli!" Mary hopped out of her mother's lap, running up to him and hugging him tightly. "You're home!"

Elias scooped her up, hugging her close.

"Yeah, made it back all in one piece."

Linda hurried over, bringing her arms around her children.

"Oh, thank goodness! You're okay!" Linda peppered his head with kisses. "Don't do anything that crazy ever again, you hear me?"

"Loud and clear and Mom… Oh, and Mom…" Elias smiled. "There's someone who'd very much like to see you."

Elias looked over his shoulder, Linda following his gaze.

There, standing in the corner of the room… was Henry.

"Henry…" Linda whispered, parting from her children and going to him, taking in everything she could.

It was definitely her husband. There was no question about that. His clothes were ruined, his once colored shirt now a dark grey and his pants completely black. His hair was snowy white instead of light brown. But she didn't care. He was there. He was right there.

He smiled gently, warmth in his light blue eyes.

"Linda… I'm home."

Linda brought a hand over her mouth, tears streaming down her face.

"Henry… Oh, Henry!"

Linda threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly.

Henry hugged her close, twirling her around.

"Oh, Linda!" He smiled, kissing her head.

She sniffled a little, kissing his cheek.

"Look at you…"

"I know… It's bad." He grimaced.

"No!" She gave him a stern look before it faded into a gentle one. "You're perfect. Safe and sound."

"Awww Lin." He held her close.

He couldn't believe it. It wasn't a dream, or wishful thinking.

He was finally back where he belonged, holding his wife in his arms.

"I missed you."

"Missed you too… Missed all three of you so bad." He kissed her head again.

She smiled, pulling back.

"We did too."

"DADDY!"

Henry knelt down as Mary sprinted right into his arms, throwing her arms around his neck.

"My little angel!" He laughed, hugging her. "Oh, look at you! You got so big!"

"Not that big!" She giggled, tears getting out. "It's you." She nuzzled him. "It's really, really you!"

Henry nodded, his eyes shiny with tears.

"I'm here now… I'm here."

Elias walked over, bringing an arm around his mother.

"We're finally all together again."

"Yes…" Linda kissed his head.

She looked over to Joey, who was keeping quiet but still watching the sight before him.

"Joey…" she said, catching his attention.

She took a deep breath, sighing.

"I'm only going to say this once… Thank you."

Joey was a bit taken aback by this but nodded.

"... Y-You're welcome…"

Henry looked over to him as well, standing up fully, holding Mary close to him.

"Joey… you put me through a lot in there… 432 times of horrible things… and yet… all I have left to say… is this." Henry locked eyes with him, seriousness in them. "... I forgive you."

Joey was stunned into silence, not sure what to say to that.

Henry looked to his family.

"Come on, let's pack up and go home. We're done here."

Everyone departed from the room, quickly gathering up their things before leaving.

Joey was alone now. Just him and his storyboards.

It was all over now… and yet… despite it all… he felt at peace for once.

He wheeled over to his desk, putting the storyboards in a drawer and closing it.

It was time to let things go.

 _What's done is done… and it's time to accept that._

… _Thank you, Henry._


	17. Epilogue

"Mom! I'm home!"

Linda smiled, looking up to see Elias entering from the front door, a huge grin on his face.

"Welcome home, Eli. Have a good date with Liz?"

Elias nodded, feeling at one of his cheeks.

"Yeah. We had a lot of fun and… yeah." He chuckled, shaking his head. "Where's Dad?"

"Reading to Mary. I'm sure he'll be ready to collab in a few minutes but you know the drill."

Elias nodded.

"Of course." He gave a wave, heading up the stairs. "I'll be in my room."

"I'll let Henry know."

Linda shook her head, focusing on finishing up cleaning the dishes.

 _Back to our old routines._

 _Just as it should be._

oooooo

"And so, they lived happily ever after… The end."

Henry closed the book he was reading, glancing down at Mary. The little girl's eyes were barely open, her head buried into his side, but content.

Back in her real bedroom, her real nightly routine back in focus.

"Tell me another one, Daddy?"

He chuckled, laying her down, tucking the blanket more around her.

"Okay, Little Angel. One last one."

He smiled softly, before mock humming in thought.

"What to tell though?"

"Daaadddyy!"

"Just kidding Little Mary. I know just the story." He laid back with her, closing his eyes.

"Once upon a time, there was a little devil darling. He had a love for bending the rules and for getting into mischief…"

 _At least now, the stories are just that… Stories._

 _I finally got my happy ending._

Henry looked up at a photo they had recently hung in the room. A drawing he and Elias had collaborated on. It was a drawing of Bendy, Boris and Alice together, the three off on another adventure of sorts. Bendy and Alice riding on Boris' shoulders as he carried them off to who knows where.

For a moment, he saw the three waving at him before they went back to what they were doing.

Henry chuckled at this, going back to telling his story.

 _And they finally got theirs too._

 **The End**


End file.
